J£>-^ 


NARRATIVi 


OF    A 


Journey  TO  MusARD 


NARRATIVE 


OF  A 


Journey  to  Mtjsardu, 


THE 


CAPITAL    OF    THE    WESTERN   MANDINGOES. 


BY 


BENJAMIN    ANDERSON. 


Ueb-gork: 
W.  GREEN,  PRINTER,  i6  and  i8  JACOB  STREET. 

1870. 


D' 


// 


INTRODUCTION. 


Smithsonian  Institution,  January,  1870. 
It  bad  long  been  considered  important  by  tbe  friends  of  Liberia 
that  an  exploration  should  be  made  of  the  country  east  of  the 
Republic.  The  only  difficulty  in  the  way  was  to  find  the  proper 
man  f<^r  the  enterprise.  President  Warner  had  for  a  number  of 
years  been  seeking  for  such  a  one,  when  the  author  of  the  accom- 
panying narrative  volunteered  to  undertake  the  exploration.  He 
is  a  young  man,  educated  in  Liberia,  of  pure  negro  blood,  and  had 
previously  served  as  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  under  President 
Warner.  Tiie  narrative  is  printed  without  correction  from  the 
original  manuscript,  and  the  principal  portion  of  the  edition  has 
been  presented  to  the  Smithsonian  Ini<titution  by  Mr.  H.  Maunsell 
Scliit  rtelin,  for  distribution. 

JOSE  1^1 1    IIKNUV, 
Secretary  8/n ith so u it i n  Inittitution . 


Ml93Jeii2 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Leaves  Monrovia, 9 

Exploration  Obstructed, 11,  17,  47 

Yannswah, 12,  23 

Leopards  Numerous, 12 

Bessa's  and  its  Walls,  15,  23 

Iron  Ore 14,  105,  111 

Used  for  Shot, 39 

Polished  Walk, 83 

Smelting. 84 

Working, 110 

Boozie  Savage  Warriors, 17 

Slave  Trade, 21,39,109 

••     Insurrection, 41 

Boporu, 22,  26 

Totoquella 28 

Stereoscope, 33,  45 

Salt  for  Settling  Fueds, 30 

Bessa  Compelled  to  Restore, 36 

St.  Paul's  River  Falls, 39 

Momora  wants  a  School, — 45 

Grood  for  a  Mission  Station, 45 

Arabic  Grammar, 40 

"      Reading  and  Writing, 107 

Fish  Plenty, 44,117 

Cotton  Weaving  and  Dyeing,  44,  56, 
61,  79. 

Agriculture, 85,  105 

Rice,  Cotton,  Tobacco,  etc.,  56,  61,  65, 
105. 

Cane  and  Plantains, 86 

Zelleki, 50 

Dallazeah, 51 

Zolu's, 53 

Zow  Zovv 54 


PAGE 

Markets, 44,  54,  67,  79,  109 

Religion, 4q 

Religious  Toleration,  107,  110 

Convent  for  Women 68 

Handsome  Green  Stone, 58 

Fissabue, 63 

Bokkasah, 64 

King  Dowilnyah, 71 

His  Cruelty, 72 

War  Dance,  75 

Fear  of  Instruments, 76 

Ziggah  Porrah  Zue, 77 

Bridge  over  St.  Paul's, 80 

Elephants  plenty, 83 

for  Dinner, 117 

Music, 18,  31,  78,  81,  90 

Sheep,  Cattle,  Horses,  83,  100,  104,  109 

Ballatah, 83 

Vukkah, 85 

Mahommadu,  87 

Musardu, 88 

Healthy  and  Dry. 91 

Cavalry,    (1500;)    Military 

Exhibition, 93 

Harmattan  Dust, 108 

Musardu  Oppressed, 95 

Expecting  War, 99 

Gold, 95,  100,  101 

Poison  for  Arrows,   103 

Hawks  and  Strange  Bird. 106 

Expected  Attack,  113 

Population 39,  66,  84,  91,  107,  113 

Mandingo  Dress,     91 

Trading  Forts  Recommeiulcd 100 


A  Jouejstey  to  Musaedu. 


This  account  of  a  journey  to  Musardu,  tlie  capital 
of  the  Western  Mandingoes,  is  the  result  of  a  propo- 
sal made  by  Mr.  Henry  M.  Schieffelin,  of  New-York, 
through  President  D.  B.  Warner,  of  Liberia,  who  for 
six  or  eight  years  had  been  endeavoring,  till  now  with- 
out success,  to  induce  the  inauguration  of  an  expedition 
from  Liberia,  to  explore  the  interior  as  far  as  possible. 
Mr.  Schieffelin  and  Caleb  Swan,  Esq.,  of  New- York, 
furnished  the  means  necessary  to  carry  on  the  explo- 
ration. 

No  especial  point  was  indicated  by  the  promoters  of 
this  exploration  ;  only  the  general  direction  was  given, 
east  and  north-east.  The  especial  point,  however, 
agreed  upon  by  my  friends  in  Monrovia,  was  Musardu, 
the  capital  of  the  Western  Mandingoes.  This  is  the 
portion  of  the  country  of  Manding  which  our  citizens 
Seymore  and  Ash  attempted  to  visit ;  but  their  travels 
were  unfortunately  interrupted  in  a  manner  that  nearly 
cost  them  their  lives. 

The  Mandingoes  have  always  excited  the  liveliest 
interest  on  account  of  their  superior  physical  appear- 
ance, their  natural  intelligence,  their  activity,  and  their 


^c:  :':.•••/•:  Ia  jojkkn^y  to  musardu. 

enterprise.  No  one  lias  passed  unnoticed  these  tall 
black  men  from  the  eastern  interior,  in  whose  counte- 
nances spirit  and  intellect  are  strongly  featured. 

Their  diligent  journeys  from  Tallakondah  have  al- 
lowed no  sea-coast  town  north-west  of  the  St.  Paul's  to 
remain  un visited.  Their  avidity  for  trade  has  drawn 
them  from  their  treeless  plains  to  the  Atlantic  ocean. 
Their  zeal  for  Islam  has  caused  the  name  of  Moham- 
med to  be  pronounced  in  this  part  of  Africa,  where  it 
otherwise  would  never  have  been  mentioned. 

Musardu  can,  by  easy  journeys,  be  reached  from 
Monrovia  in  twenty-five  or  thirty  days.  I  was  obliged, 
however,  from  the  delays  and  inconveniences  incident 
to  interior  traveling  in  Africa,  to  occupy  thirteen 
months. 

Sometimes  I  was  compelled  to  spend  considerable 
lengths  of  time  in  one  place.  I  have  not  on  that  ac- 
count burdened  this  report  with  insipid  recitals  of 
what,  every  day,  nearly  repeated  itself  Whatever 
struck  me  as  descriptive  of  the  country,  or  illustrative 
of  the  manners  of  the  people,  that  I  have  recorded. 

I  am  sensible  that  the  regions  through  which  I  have 
traveled  are  capable  of  yielding  vaster  stores  of  infor- 
mation, in  a  scientific  point  of  view,  than  what  I  have 
afforded ;  but  I  shall  be  satisfied  if  this  humble  begin- 
ning succeeds  in  encouraging  others  in  the  same  di- 
rection, and  on  a  more  extensive  scale.  I  shall  now 
proceed  to  narrate  the  journey  from  Monrovia  to 
Musardu  ;  but  especially  from  Boporu  to  Musardu. 

I  shall  rapidly  march  through  the  two  grand  divi- 
sions of  the  Boozie  country.  I  shall  first  make  the 
reader  acquainted  with  the  Domar  Boozie ;  introduce 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  7 

him  at  once  to  the  populous  and  thriving  towns  of 
Zolu,  Zow-Zow,  Salaghee,  Fissahbue,  and  Bokkasaw. 
Leaving  the  Domar  country,  we  shall  enter  the  Wymar 
country,  give  time  to  rest  at  Ziggah  Porrah  Zue,  in 
latitude  8°  14'  45',  its  capital,  the  vast  and  noisy  mar- 
ket of  which  takes  place  every  Sunday,  upon  the 
banks  of  the  same  river  on  which  Clay  Ashland,  Loui- 
siana, Virginia,  and  Caldwell  are  seated — the  St.  Paul's. 
We  shall  then  cross  that  river  upon  a  suspension 
bridge  of  wicker-work,  elevated  twenty-five  feet  from 
its  surface,  and  come  into  the  territory  of  one  of  the 
most  warlike  kings  in  the  Wymar  country,  the  bloody 
Donilnyah.  We  shall  not  tarry  long  in  his  presence  ; 
but,  hastening  away,  nothing  shall  stop  our  progress — 
not  even  the  Vukkah  mountains,  a  boundary  acknow- 
ledged to  divide  the  fertile  hills  of  Wymar  from  the 
almost  treeless  plains  of  Manding.  Crossing  these  with 
the  tramp  and  speed  of  a  soldier,  we  shall  quickly  de- 
scend into  the  country  of  the  Western  Mandingoes; 
visit  their  principal  cities ;  and,  finally,  take  up  our 
abode  in  their  very  capital — Musardu. 

The  instruments  with  which  observations  were  made 
were:  One  sextant,  by  E.  &  Gr.  W.  Blunt,  Kew-Yoik  ; 
one  aneroid  barometer;  two  thermometers — 1st,  133°; 
2d,  140°,  by  B.  Pike,  New- York;  two  small  night  and 
day  compasses,  by  II.  W.  Hunter,  New- York ;  one 
tolerably  good  watch  ;  one  artificial  horizon. 

As  for  the  accuracy  of  these  calculations  of  latitude 
and  longitude,  whatever  painstaking  and  the  instru- 
ments enumerated  above  could  do,  has  not  been  ne- 
glected. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  calculate  the  profile  of  the 


8  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

route  according  to  tlie  usual  methods,  because  it  was 
impossible  to  procure  the  proper  instruments,  with 
which  a  contemporaneous  register  ought  to  have  been 
kept  at  Monrovia,  during  my  absence. 

Even  the  barometer  with  which  I  was  furnished 
was  an  aneroid,  an  instrument  that  has  to  be  refer- 
red from  time  to  time  to  the  mercurial  barometer  for 
adjustment. 

I  can  not  say  that  the  indications  of  the  instrument 
were  material  departures  from  the  truth.  It  certainly 
indicated  the  rise  and  fall  of  land  in  a  satisfactory  and 
unmistakable  manner,  both  in  going  to  and  returning 
from  Musardu. 

At  Totoquella,  in  latitude  7°  45'  24",  and  Boporu, 
June  9th  and  13th,  it  ranged  29.36,  29.34.  Upon  my 
return  in  March  it  .ranged  from  29.14  to  29.24.  This 
difference  may  be  ascribed,  partly  to  difference  of  sea- 
sons of  rains  and  dries,  and  partly  to  want  of  accuracy 
in  the  instrument  itself 

I  was  not  even  able  to  ascertain  directly  the  seve- 
ral heights  of  land  by  means  of  the  boiling  point  of 
water,  because  my  thermometers  ranged  only  from 
133°  to  140°  Fahrenheit.  The  highest  rise  of  land  was 
indicated  by  the  aneroid  at  27.61  inches;  the  boil- 
ing point  of  which  would  have  been  208°  Fahrenheit. 
See  Davies  &  Peck's  Mathematical  Dictionary,  page 
338,  "  Table  of  barometric  heights  corresponding  to 
difference  of  temperature  of  boiling  water."  It  is 
from  these  tables  that  I  have  made  approximate  esti- 
mates of  the  elevations  of  land. 

Taking  the  indications  of  the  aneroid  at  the  seve- 
ral places,  and  ascertaining  from  the  tables  the  boiling 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  9 

points  at  each  place,  (which  always  rated  higher  than 
my  two  thermometers  of  133°  and  140°  Fahrenheit,) 
I  then  made  the  calculation  as  if  I  had  ascertained  the 
boiling  point  directly  from  the  thermometer.  For  ex- 
ample, the  barometer  and  thermometer  at  Ziggah 
Porrah  Zue  stood  28.08  and  8G°. 

The  boiling  point  of  28.06  (see  Tables)  is  208°  Fah. 

From  Table  I.  for  208°  height,      .         .     2049  feet. 

Proportional  part  for  0°  8',  deduct        .      408 


1641 
Multiplier  from  Table  IT.  for  86°, .         .     1112 


Approximate  height  required,      .        .     1824  feet. 

The  number  of  longitudes  would  have  been  greater, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  difficulty  of  reading  off  the 
limb  of  the  sextant  at  night. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  1868,  I  embarked  the 
effects  of  the  expedition  in  a  large  canoe,  loaned  me 
by  Dr.  C.  B.  Dunbar  for  the  purpose.  We  reached 
Virginia,  on  the  St.  Paul's,  at  six  o'clock  p.m.  The 
next  morning  we  started  for  Vannswah,  a  Dey  village, 
four  and  a  half  miles  in  the  rear  of  Virginia.  This 
village  was  once  occupied  wholly  by  the  Deys,  but 
their  power  is  fast  waning,  and  more  than  half  the 
village  is  now  in  the  hands  of  Mandingo  traders  from 
Boporu. 

Here  it  was  that  I  had  made  a  previous  arrangement 
for  the  conduct  of  the  expedition,  with  a  learned  Man- 
dingo,  Kaifiil-Kanda,  who  had  lately  arrived  from  his 
native  town  Billelah,  a  place  near  to,  and  scarcely 
second  in  importance  to  Musardu  itself. 


10  A  JOUKNEY  TO   MUSAKDU. 

I  was  detained  here  three  weeks  waiting  for  him  to 
arrange  our  departure.  In  the  mean  time  all  my  car- 
riers, who  were  Kroomen,  deserted  me,  with  the 
exception  of  their  head-man,  Ben;  being  frightened 
bj  what  the  Dey  people  told  them  of  the  dangers  of 
the  road.  Kaifal  at  first  proposed  to  send  me  direct 
to  Boporu ;  but  my  friends  at  Monrovia  were  so  ap- 
prehensive that  I  should  not  be  able  to  pass  through 
that  country,  that  I  refused  to  go  to  Boporu.  Subse- 
quent events  proved  that  their  apprehensions  were  not 
entirely  unfounded. 

Boporu,  though  the  most  direct  route,  or  the  route 
most  usually  traveled,  is  also  the  place  where  the 
strongest  opposition  is  offered  to  any  one  wishing  to 
pass  through.  It  is  the  place  where  the  policy  of  non- 
intercourse  originated.  Its  power  and  policy  domi- 
nate over  the  surrounding  regions. 

It  was  upon  my  refusal  to  go  to  Boporu  that  Kaifal 
sent  me  to  Bessa's  town,  which  is  situated  forty  miles 
west  of  Boporu.  And  though  it  is  somewhat  inde- 
pendent of  the  authority  of  Momoru  Son,  the  king  of 
Boporu,  the  same  practice  prevails  with  respect  to  pro- 
hibiting all  penetration  into  the  interior. 

Before  setting  out  on  this  expedition,  I  made  every 
effort  to  join  another  civilized  person  with  me ;  but  the 
undertaking  was  considered  of  too  dangerous  a  cha- 
racter. I  tried  to  prevail  on  some  of  the  young  men, 
who  had  but  little  else  to  do  at  the  time ;  but  was  so 
entirely  unsuccessful,  that  I  fear  their  reputation  for 
enterprise  and  hardihood  must  suffer  when  I  relate 
how  they  preferred  .the  safe,  soft,  grassy  streets  of 
Monrovia  to  an  expedition  into  the  heart  of  their 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSAEDU.  11 

country,  simply  because  it  was  said  to  be  perilous. 
I  thereafter  received  other  discouragements,  from  such 
a  quarter  and  of  such  a  character  that  I  must  forbear 
to  mention  them. 

Many  stories  were  rife  of  the  unsettled  state  of  the 
country :  that  the  roads  between  us  and  the  interior 
tribes  were  infested  by  banditti,  and  that  war  was 
raging  between  interior  tribes  themselves;  that  be- 
tween all  these  jarring  forces,  it  was  impossible  for  the 
expedition  to  survive  forty  miles.  And  this  was  the 
opinion  of  those  who  were  in  a  condition  to  be  the 
best  informed.  But  as  the  expedition  was  puslied  on 
in  the  very  localities  where  these  difficulties  were  said 
to  exist,  it  was  found  that  there  were  disturbances,  but 
not  of  a  character  to  entirely  prohibit  our  progress. 

The  practice  of  exaggerating  every  petty  ajffair  into 
the  proportions  of  a  universal  war,  is  used  for  a  pur- 
pose ;  being  often  an  artifice  to  produce  general  con- 
sternation, out  of  which  the  more  knowing  may  cull 
every  advantage  for  themselves. 

Besides,  it  is  the  policy  of  our  intervening  tribes  to 
get  up  scare-crow  reports,  to  prevent  intercourse  be- 
tween the  interior  and  Liberia.  Nothing  is  more 
dreaded,  and  especially  by  the  Boporu  Mandingoes, 
than  the  penetration  of  the  interior  by  the  Liberians. 
There  is,  therefore,  a  complete  line  of  obstruction,  ex- 
tending east  and  west,  in  the  rear  of  Montserrado 
country,  which  hinders  or  inconveniences  trade.  It 
deserves  the  immediate  action  of  government,  in  order 
that  the  interior  trade  may  be  completely  unfettered 
from  such  annoyances. 
It  is  along  this  line  that  the  Boporu  Mandingoes 


12  A   JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

and  others  are  determined  to  be  the  "  go-betweens"  to 
the  inland  trade  and  Liberian  enterprise.  They  it  is 
who  are  chiefly  engaged  in  making  beef  scarce,  and 
country  cloths  small ;  who  trammel  and  clog  the  Boozie 
and  Barline  trade. 

On  the  6th  of  March,  having  hired  eighteen  Con- 
goes,  to  supply  the  place  of  the  Kroomen  who  had 
deserted  me,  we  started  from  Yannswah  for  Bessa's 
town,  under  the  conduct  of  two  of  Kaifal's  young 
men.  Bessa's  town  was  the  place  pitched  upon  as  our 
starting-point  for  Musardu,  since  I  had  refused  to  go 
to  Boporu. 

Passing,  as  rapidly  as  our  burdens  would  permit,  the 
towns  of  Yyrmore,  Sne,  Moah,  "Weta,  and  Bambu,  we 
reached  Mann^enah  on  Thursday,  the  12th  of  March. 
We  had  been  traveling  in  a  north-eastern  direction ; 
halting  here,  we  saw  a  large  mountain,  north-east  by 
east,  behind  which  Boporu  is  said  to  lie.  We  had 
now  to  change  our  course  to  westward,  in  order  to  go 
to  Bessa's  town.  All  the  towns  and  villages  through 
which  we  had  passed,  except  Weta,  Bambu,  and  Man- 
neenah,  belonged  to  the  Deys.  This  tribe  was  once 
numerous  and  powerful,  but  is  now  scatteringly 
sprinkled  in  small  and  unimportant  villages  over  the 
face  of  the  country.  They  have  a  relic  of  their  old 
antipathy  against  Liberians.  Slave-trade,  war,  and 
their  absorption  into  other  tribes  have  nearly  oblite- 
rated every  thing  that  distinguished  them  as  a  tribe. 
Old  Gatumba's  town,  both  in  appearance  and  hospi- 
tality, is  the  only  redeeming  feature  in  this  part  of  the 
country. 

In  this  region  leopards  are  numerous,  and  sometimes 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  13 

dangerous.  The  female  leopard  is  particularly  danger- 
ous -when  she  has  the  care  of  her  young.  It  is  said 
that  leopards  never  attack  first,  and  will  always  shun 
you  whenever  they  can  do  so.  This  rule,  like  many 
others,  has  some  exceptions,  and  sometimes  some  very 
fatal  ones.  A  female  leopard  having  her  cub  with  her 
met  a  man  in  a  sudden  turn  of  the  road ;  she  flew  at 
him,  and  came  nigh  breaking  the  rule  entirely  as  to 
him,  but  for  the  strength  of  his  lungs  and  the  speed  of 
his  legs,  all  of  which  had  to  be  brought  into  desperate 
requisition. 

At  Weta's  town  an  enormous  leopard  was  shot  by 
an  old  man.  As  soon  as  he  saw  the  mammoth  cat,  he 
was  taken  with  the  trembles ;  but,  remembering  that  it 
was  only  the  matter  of  a  few  moments  which  should 
have  the  first  chance  for  life,  he  leveled  his  piece  at 
the  head  of  the  crouching  animal,  and  in  an  instant 
had  the  satisfaction  to  see  that  the  object  of  his  fears 
was  stretched  helpless  on  the  earth. 

This  trophy  of  the  old  man's  prowess  was  borne 
home  in  triumph,  and  divided  into  many  parcels.  The 
chine- bone  is  considered  the  bone  of  contention ;  and, 
as  soon  as  it  is  severed  from  the  rest,  it  is  thrown  high 
in  the  air,  in  order  that  when  it  comes  to  the  ground — 

"  Those  may  take  who  liave  the  power, 
And  those  inay  keep  who  can." 

A  general  scramble  ensues,  in  which  it  is  clearly 
proved  that  a  part  is  greater  than  the  whole ;  for  the 
chine-bone  can  produce  a  greater  row,  and  a  bigger 
fight,  than  if  the  whole  animal,  instinct  with  its  living 


14:  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

ferocity,  had  jumped  plump  into  the  middle  of  the 
crowd. 

The  physical  features  of  the  country  are  roughened 
by  hills,  valleys,  and  small  plains ;  and  similar  inequa- 
lities of  surface  prevail  to  what  may  be  seen  in  the 
rear  of  Clay  Ashland  ;  indeed,  the  Clay  Ashland  hills 
are  a  part  of  them,  and  must  have  been  produced  by 
the  same  physical  causes. 

These  hills  grow  bolder  and  more  conspicuous  in 
outline  as  we  advance  in  the  interior.  Sometimes 
linked  together  by  gentle  depressions,  and  sometimes 
entirely  detached  from  each  other,  they  form  no  defi- 
nite range ;  rising  and  running  toward  every  point  of 
the  compass,  they  present  all  the  varieties  of  figure 
and  direction  that  hills  can  assume. 

Their  composition,  so  far  as  could  be  discerned  from 
their  surface,  was  the  ordinary  vegetable  mould,  with 
boulders  of  iron  ore,  granite,  white  quartz,  and  a 
mixed  detritus  from  these  various  rocks,  charged  in 
many  places  with  thin-leaved  mica,  similar  to  that 
which,  is  seen  in  the  Clay  Ashland  hills. 

Before  we  reached  the  margin  of  the  Boporu,  or 
Boatswain  country,  we  passed  through  long  and  almost 
unbroken  strips  of  forests,  upon  a  road  partaking  of 
the  uneven  character  of  the  country,  and  strewn  for 
miles  with  sharp  pebbles  and  vitreous  quartz,  render- 
ing travel  painful  enough  to  the  unshodden  pedestrian. 
Huge  boulders  of  granite  were  dispersed  here  and 
there,  relieving  the  gloom  and  monotony  of  large, 
shady  forest  trees.  This  region  is  intersected  with 
numerous    streams  flowing   over  sandy   bottoms   or 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  15 

granite  beds,  with  a  temperature  of  58°,  60°,  and  62° 
Fahrenheit. 

On  Saturday,  the  13th  of  March,  we  left  Mann^enah, 
and  after  traveling  forty  miles  westward,  we  reached 
Bessa's  town,  at  six  o'clock  p.m. 

Bessa's  town  is  in  latitude  7°  3'  19",  in  the  western 
portion  of  the  Grolah  country.  It  is  elevated  about 
four  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  This  town  is  located  in  a  small,  irregular  plain, 
studded  with  palm-trees,  and  hedged  in  by  hills  in 
nearly  every  direction.  It  is  strongly  fortified  with  a 
double  barricade  of  large  wooden  stakes ;  in  the  space 
between  each  barricade  sharp-pointed  stakes,  four  feet 
long,  are  set  obliquely  in  the  ground,  crossing  each 
other;  this  is  to  prevent  the  defenses  from  being 
scaled.  The  town  is  of  an  oval  form ;  the  north  and 
south  points  resting  on  the  edge  of  swamps  ;  the  east 
and  west  points,  which  are  the  points  of  access,  are 
flanked  with  a  strong  quadrilateral  stockade,  with  four 
intervening  gates  between  the  outside  gate  and  the 
town  itself.  There  are  guard-houses  to  each  of  these 
gates,  and  people  constantly  in  them  night  and  day. 
To  a  force  without  artillery  this  town  would  give  some 
trouble.  It  contains  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
clay  dwellings,  of  various  sizes,  and  between  eight 
hundred  and  one  thousand  inhabitants,  who  may  be  re- 
garded as  the  permanent  population.  Of  the  transient 
traders  and  visitors  it  would  be  difficult  to  form  any 
estimate.  The  houses  are  huddled  together  in  a  close 
and  most  uncomfortable  proximity ;  in  some  parts  of 
the  town  scarcely  two  persons  can  walk  abreast.  In 
matters  of  cleanliness  and  health.  King  Bessa  can  not 


16  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

be  said  to  have  seriously  consulted  the  interests  of  his 
people. 

Bessa  himself  is  a  personage  well  known  to  one  of 
our  best  citizens,  Mr.  Gabriel  Moore.  He  is  of  Man- 
dingo  extraction.  I  regret,  however,  to  say  that  he 
is  deplorably  wanting  in  that  sedateness  and  religious 
cast  of  feeling  which  usually  forms  the  distinguishing 
characteristic  of  that  tribe. 

I  was  informed  that  he  had  purchased  a  dispensa- 
tion from  the  rigid  observances  of  that  creed  from  some 
of  the  Mandingo  priests,  by  paying  a  large  amount  of 
money.  This  license  to  do  evil  so  affected  our  journey 
to  Musardu,  that  it  came  nearly  breaking  up  the  expe- 
dition altogether. 

It  was  on  a  Friday  we  arrived  in  this  town — a  day 
said  to  be  always  inauspicious.  We  introduced  our- 
selves as  being  sent  to  him  by  one  of  his  own  country- 
men, Kaifal  Kanda,  a  Mandingo,  living  at  Yannswah, 
with  whom  we  were  going  to  Musardu. 

He  affected  to  listen  with  great  attention  ;  spoke  of 
the  commotions  of  the  interior,  which,  as  he  said,  was 
a  great  obstacle  and  hinderance  to  all  traveling  just  at 
that  time.  He  also  informed  me  that  he  would  have 
to  consult  the  other  kings  behind  him  before  allowing 
me  to  pass ;  and  he  kept  on  creating  difficulty  after 
difficulty,  all  reasonable  and  fair  enough  in  argument, 
but  point^ank  lies  in  fact.  He  had  no  cons  ulting  to 
do ;  for  he  was  at  that  time  at  variance  with  the  princi- 
pal neighboring  chiefs. 

I  was  not  pleased  with  my  first  audience,  yet  I  was  in- 
duced to  make  Bessa  the  following  presents  :  three  bars 
of  tobacco,  one  double  barreled  pistol,  one  large  brass 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDtT.  17 

kettle,  one  piece  of  fancy  handkercliiefs,  and  one  keg  of 
powder.  This  gift  was  received  with  satisfaction,  but 
it  was  hinted  that  the  king  was  anxious  to  trade  with 
me  for  the  rest  of  my  money^  I  had,  therefore,  to  dis- 
tinctly state  that  I  did  not  wish  to  trade,  as  that  would 
prevent  me  from  accomplishing  the  object  for  which  I 
had  come,  namely,  to  go  to  Musardu. 

Bessa  now  began  to  show  how  much  he  disrelished 
the  idea  of  my  passing  through  his  country,  and  carry- 
ing so  much  money  "behind  him,"  as  he  expressed  it 
He  offered  me  his  fat  bullocks,  country  cloths,  palm- 
oil,  ivory,  etc. ;  but  I  steadily  refused  to  trade.  Find- 
ing me  inexorable  in  that  respect,  he  began  to  grumble 
about  the  "dash,"  or  gifts,  I  had  made  him.  Some 
mischievous  persons  had  told  him  that  the  gifts  were 
insignificant  to  what  it  was  the  custom  of  Liberians  to 
"  dash,"  or  present,  kings  ;  and  Jollah,  my  interpreter, 
had  some  difficulty  to  persuade  the  king  to  the  con- 
trary ;  besides,  he  had  his  own  reasons  for  remaining 
so  incredulous. 

I  had  now  struck  the  line  of  obstruction  at  this 
point.  It  was  upon  my  refusal  to  go  to  Boporu  that 
Kaifal  had  sent  me  to  Bessa's  town.  Bessa,  in  carry- 
ing out  this  policy  of  non-intercourse  with  the  interior, 
which  is  a  standing,  [well-known,  and  agreed-upon 
thing  throughout  the  whole  country,  now  commenced 
a  series  of  annoyances,  his  people  acting  in  concert 
with  him.  He  began  with  my  Congoes.  Every  means 
that  language  and  signs  could  produce  was  used  to 
frighten  and  discourage  them.  They  were  told  of  the 
wars  in  the  path.  He  also  showed  some  Boozies  whom 
he  had  in  his  town,  whose  faces  were  disfigured  with 


18  A  JOUKNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

hideous  tattoo- marks,  and  wbose  front  teeth  were  filed 
sharp  and  pointed,  for  the  purpose  of  eating  people ;  their 
long  bows  and  poisoned  arrows;  their  broad  knives 
and  crooked  iron  hooks,^  with  which  they  (iaught  and 
hewed  to  pieces  those  whom  they  pursued.  But 
what  more  alarmed  mj  Congoes  than  any  thing  else, 
was  the  prospect  of  being  eaten  by  the  Boozies.  Bessa, 
to  make  this  part  more  vividly  horrible,  had  brought 
into  our  presence  several  of  his  man-eaters,  who  were 
said  to  delight  in  that  business.  He  then  brought  in 
his  war-drums,  the  heads  of  which  were  the  skins  of 
human  beings,  well  tanned  and  corded  down,  while  a 
dozen  grinning  human  jaw-bones  were  dangling  and 
rattling  against  each  other  with  a  noise  that  reminded 
my  Congoes  that  their  jaw-bones  too  might  perform  a 
similar  office  on  some  country  war-drum.  It  was  by 
such  means  that  Bessa  entirely  succeeded  in  disor- 
ganizing the  whole  expedition.  He  gave  the  Congoes 
plainly  to  understand  that  they  had  better  not  hazard 
their  lives  in  attempting  to  follow  me  to  Musardu. 

My  carriers,  who  had  hitherto  shown  willingness 
and  obedience,  now  began  openly  to  disobey  my  orders ; 
and  my  difficulty  was  greatly  increased  from  the  fact 
that  I  had  not  been  able  to  get  a  single  civilized  person 
to  accompany  me.  I  had  no  one,  in  consequence,  to 
confer  with,  or  to  assist  me  in  watching  the  movements 
of  my  mutinous  Congoes.  It  soon  became  evident 
that  there  was  an  understanding  between  my  Congoes 
and  Bessa,  and  that  all  hands  were  conspiring  together 
against  me.  Several  times  I  had  detected  Bessa  and 
the  Congoes  in  secret  consultation.  I  guessed  at  once 
the  villainy  hatching.     I  tried  every  means  to  induce 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  19 

the  Congoes  to  disregard  the  idle  tales  that  were  told 
them  by  Bessa  and  his  people;  but  neither  advice, 
persuasion,  nor  the  offer  of  donations  above  their  pay 
could  overcome  the  impression  that  had  been  made 
upon  their  minds  respecting  the  dangers  of  the  route. 
Big  Ben,  the  Krooman,  kept  himself  aloof  from  the 
plots  of  the  Congoes,  yet  he  was  in  favor  of  returning 
to  Monrovia ;  and  he  made  my  ears  ring  with,  "  'Spose 
we  no  find  good  path  ;  we  go  back  now."  The  Con- 
goes began  to  hold  secret  meetings  by  themselves,  and 
to  talk  in  a  low,  muttering  tone.  Matters  were  now 
brewing  to  some  mischievous  point;  but  what  their 
resolves  were,  I  could  never  learn.  With  my  Congoes 
in-  open  rupture,  Bessa  himself  drunk,  avaricious,  and 
conspiring,  I  had  now  to  exercise  the  greatest  vigi- 
lance. 

One  night,  exasperated  at  their  mutinous  language 
and  conduct,  we  came  to  a  collision,  in  which  all  of 
us  had  recourse  to  our  arms,  and  but  for  the  immediate 
interference  of  the  town  people,  things  would  have 
certainly  ended  seriously.  I  should  have  been  riddled 
with  their  balls,  there  being  fifteen  of  them.  King 
Bessa,  attended  by  some  of  his  people,  came  to  allay 
the  disturbance.  lie  could  not  have  been  furnished 
with  a  better  opportunity  of  seemingly  protecting  me 
from  the  very  mischiefs  he  had  secretly  instigated,  lie 
reproved  the  Congoes,  and  imposed  a  fine  for  breaking 
the  peace — a  gun  and  a  piece  of  handkerchief  being 
the  cost  of  court.  He  never  used  his  authority  to 
enforce  obedience  on  the  part  of  the  Congoes,  which  he 
could  have  easily  done.  No;  he  affected  a  neutral 
coarse,  which  had  many  by-paths  to  his  own  interest, 


20  A  JOUENEY  TO   MUSAEDU. 

and  through  which  he  managed  to  transfer  many  a  bar 
of  my  tobacco  into  his  own  hands, 

Much  of  Bessa's  conduct  arose  from  the  defiant  and 
refractory  behavior  of  Prince  Manna  toward  the  gov- 
ernment. The  moral  effect  of  this  man's  conduct  has 
been  any  thing  but  beneficial  for  Liberia.  Bessa  was 
continually  referring,  with  pride,  to  a  man  who  could 
defy  the  government  with  impunity.  Unless  the  gov- 
ernment shows  energy  and  control,  it  will  always  be 
difficult  to  visit  these  parts — almost  within  the  territo- 
rial limits  of  Liberia — for  any  purpose  whatever.  The 
fact  was  but  too  plainly  humiliating,  that  we  had  lost 
prestige  and  respect.  The  policy  of  too  much  modera- 
tion and  forbearance  is  often  abused  or  misunderstood 
by  warlike  barbarians,  whose  swords  are  an  appendage 
of  their  daily  apparel. 

Bessa  now,  in  an  advisory  manner,  repeated  over 
and  over  again  the  difficulties  of  the  route,  adding  to 
it  the  determination  of  my  Congo  carriers  themselves 
not  to  go  any  further.  To  this  he  joined  a  series  of 
petty  annoyances  —  sometimes  coming  himself,  and 
sometimes  sending  for  me,  to  talk  palavers.  Then  he 
would  complain  that  the  Congoes  endangered  the  lives 
of  his  people  by  their  hunting ;  that  they  would  likely 
set  his  town  on  fire  by  their  smoking-pipe,  though  his 
own  people  indulged  in  this  thing  not  only  to  a  greater 
degree,  but  solely  through  my  liberality.  But  what 
exasperated  me  most  was  his  practice  of  eavesdrop- 
ping ;  his  boys  and  people  were  continually  lurking  to 
bear  what  was  said  in  my  house.  I  was  always  ex- 
pected to  conclude  his  royal  visits — which  were  fre- 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  21 

quent,  and  which  he  gave  me  to  understand  were  con- 
descensions on  his  part — with  large  bars  of  my  tobacco. 

Bessa  is  naturally  avaricious.  This  vice  was  un- 
fortunately worked  up  to  its  worst  resource;  he  drank 
night  and  day,  until  he  had  sufficiently  steamed  himself 
up  to  the  courage  for  downright  robbery.  Drunk  he 
gets  every  day  ;  and  after  the  first  two  or  three  hours 
of  excess  are  over,  he  finally  sobers  down  to  that  degree 
at  which  his  avarice  is  greatest,  and  his  regard  for  other 
people's  rights  least.     There  he  remains. 

His  couch,  upon  which  he  reclines,  and  which  is  at 
once  his  bed  and  his  chair  of  state,  he  never  quits,  but 
for  a  drunken  carousal  in  the  midst  of  his  women. 
This  bed  is  stacked  head  and  foot  wdth  loaded  muskets, 
huge  horse-pistols,  rusty  swords  and  spears,  while  sun- 
dry daggers,  with  their  points  stuck  in  the  ground,  are 
ready  at  hand  "  for  the  occasion  sudden."  He  seems 
to  live  in  perpetual  dread  of  assassination.  His  peo- 
ple never  come  in  his  presence  but  in  an  obsequious 
stoop,  and  they  never  recover  an  erect  posture  until 
they  are  out  of  his  presence.  But  when  the  women 
came,  then  you  might  expect  to  see  humanity  go  on 
all  fours.  It  was  difficult  to  know  the  height  of  some 
of  the  women  on  account  of  this  servility. 

Bessa  is  engaged  in  the  slave-trade.  Passing  one 
morning  through  his  town,  I  saw  a  slave  with  his  liglit 
hand  tied  up  to  his  neck,  and  fifty  sticks  of  salt  fastened 
to  his  back,  about  to  be  sent  into  the  interior  to  be  ex- 
changed for  a  bullock.  Six  slaves,  chained  together, 
worked  on  his  farms.  He  has  numerous  other  slaves, 
but  they  were  better  treated. 

I  will  not  relate  all  the  circumstances  of  his  lashing 


22  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

an  old  slave  until  his  cries  drew  the  tears  of  all  who 
stood  bj,  nor  his  stamping  in  the  breast  of  one  of  his 
slaves  until  death  ensued,  on  account  of  some  slight 
offense.  His  enormities  are  too  many  to  recount  them 
ail,  and  would  only  weary  the  reader  with  what  they 
know  must  be  his  habits,  from  what  I  have  already 
said  of  him.  He  regretted  to  me  the  interference  of 
the  Liberians  with  the  foreign  slave-trade. 

It  was  now  the  beginning  of  April,  and  I  had  not 
been  able  to  proceed  upon  my  journey.  My  Congo 
carriers  refused  to  go  any  further.  Kaifal,  the  Man- 
dingo,  still  remained  at  Yannswah.  I  therefore  tried 
to  induce  Bessa  to  hire  me  some  of  his  people.  I 
offered  to  pay  him  liberally  if  he  would  honestly  en- 
gage in  sending  me  forward.  He  accepted  the  offer, 
and  received  an  amount  of  $66.40  in  goods.  He  gave 
me  four  persons,  to  act  as  interpreters  and  guides ;  but 
I  had  no  one  to  carry  my  luggage,  and  he  took  good 
care  that  no  one  should  be  hired  for  that  purpose.  He 
was  continually  telling  me  that  my  money  *'no  got 
feet  this  time." 

If  I  could  have  relied  on  my  Congoes,  I  would  have 
gone  on,  despite  Bessa's  attempts  to  prevent  me ;  but 
their  defection  paralyzed  all  movement  forward.  I 
could  bethink  myself  of  no  other  resource  than  to  re- 
turn to  Yannswah  in  quest  of  Kaifal.  Not  having  any 
one  in  whom  I  could  repose  confidence  enough  to  place 
my  effects  in  their  care  until  I  returned  from  Yanns- 
wah, I  had  to  run  the  risk  of  placing  them  in  the  hands 
of  the  king.  On  the  5th  of  April,  1868,  taking  two  of 
my  Congoes  with  me,  I  came  to  Boporu.  There  I 
met  Seymoru  Syyo;  Kaifal's  relation,  a  tall,  fine-looking 


A  JOURNEY   TO   MUSARDU.  23 

Mandingo,  but  whose  very  black  countenance  wore  a 
still  blacker  cloud  of  displeasure  because  I  bad  not 
come  to  him  direct,  instead  of  going  to  Bessa.  He 
scarcely  deigned  to  look  at  me,  especially  as  I  was  in 
no  decent  plight,  having  undertaken  the  journey  bare- 
foot, in  order  to  cross  the  streams  more  readily.  He  at 
length  gave  me  to  understand  that,  so  far  as  KaifaFs 
going  to  Musardu  was  concerned,  it  depended  entirely 
upon  his  (Seymoru  Syyo's)  pleasure ;  muttered  some- 
thing about  the  war  at  Musardu ;  counted  his  beads, 
and  then  strode  off  toward  the  mosque,  where  they  had 
just  been  summoned  to  prayer. 

On  the  6th  of  April,  1868,  I  started  from  Boporu, 
and  arrived  at  Yannswah  on  the  9th.  Kaifal  affected 
regret  at  having  caused  me  so  much  delay,  telling  me 
that  it  was  owing  to  his  preparation  to  get  ready  that 
he  was  detained  so  long.  He  now  promised  to  march 
immediately.  This  he  made  a  show  of  doing  by  send- 
ing his  women  and  scholars  forward,  telling  me  to  go 
on  with  them,  while  he  should  remain  behind  to  pray 
for  our  success.  I  consented ;  but  he  managed  to  lag 
behind  so  long,  that  I  never  saw  him  again  until  May 
8th,  after  I  liad  left  Bessa's  and  come  to  Boporu. 

I  now  went  back  to  Bessa's  town,  persuaded  that 
Kaifal  would  soon  follow.  As  soon  as  I  arrived  at 
Bessa's,  Ben,  the  Krooman,  informed  me  that  the  Con- 
goes  bad  tried  to  induce  the  king  to  send  them  home, 
telling  him  that  he  might  keep  all  my  goods  if  he 
would  only  permit  them  to  go  home.  I  went  straight 
to  the  king,  and  requested  him  to  deliver  to  me  my 
boxes;  he  at  once  hesitated,  ntid  T  could  scarcely  get 
him  to  consent  to  let  me  have  the  box  containing  my 


24  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

clothes.  After  much  contention  and  wrangling,  he 
delivered  up  all  the  boxes,  retaining  the  powder  and 
guns.  He  then  declared  that  I  must  pay  him  for  all 
the  Congoes  I  had  placed  in  his  hands ;  that  I  must 
pay  him  a  piece  of  cloth  and  a  gun  for  each  one  of 
them,  as  well  as  for  feeding  them  while  I  was  gone  to 
Yannswah.  He  then  made  some  other  frivolous  de- 
mands, which  he  deemed  necessary  to  justify  the  rob- 
bery he  was  about  to  commit. 

To  make  the  matter  worse,  the  Congoes  themselves 
now  began  to  gather  round  me  like  little  children, 
begging  me  to  sacrifice  all  my  goods,  if  it  were  neces- 
sary, to  save  them.  "  Daddy,  no  lose  we  this  country, 
no  lose  we,"  was  their  continual  whine.  All  spirit  for 
a  manly  resistance  had  fled ;  nothing  but  the  most 
abject  cowardice  prevailed.  Before  I  started  on  the 
journey,  I  had  thoroughly  armed  these  Congoes ;  but 
the  only  use  they  had  made  of  their  arms  was  to  resist 
my  authority.  Now  a  peculiar  danger  stared  them  in 
the  face — they  had  not  even  courage  enough  to  save 
themselves  from  slavery. 

I  refused  to  comply  with  the  demands  of  the  king  to 
pay  the  boys.  I  became  exasperated ;  but  I  was  jammed 
between  the  power  of  the  king  and  the  cowardice  and 
unfaithfulness  of  the  Congoes.  The  king's  Boozies, 
who  walked  the  town  with  their  broad  knives  to  figlit, 
and  their  teeth  filed  sharp  to  eat  their  enemies,  con- 
firmed the  poltroonery  of  the  Congoes  as  a  standing 
and  immutable  fact. 

The  king  advised  the  Congoes  to  talk  to  me,  telling 
them,  ''Your  daddy  has  got  the  heart  of  an  elephant; 
you  had  better  talk  to  him."     They  attempted  to  talk 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  25 

to  me ;  but  I  was  too  much  angered  at  their  cowardice 
and  his  robbery  to  hsten  to  any  thing.  The  king  ex- 
torted $130 ;  Ben,  the  Krooman,  and  Louis,  a  Congo, 
negotiating  the  business.  I  refused  to  have  any  thing 
to  do  with  it.  After  he  had  taken  this  amount,  Ben 
and  Louis  begged  him  to  be  satisfied.  He  told  them 
that  he  would  refer  the  matter  to  his  women  ;  if  they 
consented,  he  would  rest  satisfied.  This  female  assem- 
bly was  consulted,  and  from  the  subsequent  conduct  of 
the  king,  they  must  have  resolved  that  I  should  pay 
doubly.  The  extortions  were  renewed  to  an  amount 
of  $25.  This  occurred  on  Friday  and  Saturday,  the 
23d  and  24th  of  April. 

The  next  day  I  was  somewhat  able  to  command  my 
feelings.  I  resolved  to  go  to  Boporu.  Nothing  was 
more  contrary  to  Bessa's  wishes.  He  now  tried  his 
best  to  induce  me  to  go  on  my  journey  through  his 
country.  He  declared  that  unless  the  Congoes  wanted 
to  lose  their  heads,  they  should  go  along  with  me.  He 
was  wilhng  to  furnish  guides  and  interpreters.  But 
my  resolution  was  taken;  I  was  determined  to  go  to 
Boporu ;  no  blandishments  nor  hollow  professions  of 
friendship  could  lead  me  to  trust  him  after  what  I  had 
just  experienced  at  his  hands.  As  he  had  been  visited 
by  some  suspicious  persons,  who  even  counted  the  num- 
ber of  my  Congo  warriors,  it  might  have  been  agreed 
on  to  finish  with  murder  what  bad  been  begun  by 
robbery.  We  were  allowed  to  depart  without  further 
annoyance.  The  Congoes  were  overjoyed;  for  they 
were  sure  that  I  was  returning  home.  Bessa  even 
sent  six  stalwart  slaves  to  carry  me,  in  order  that  my 
feelings  might  be  soothed  into  some  kind  of  forbearance 
2 


26  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSAKDU. 

toward  him ;  for  he  now  began  to  fear  that  I  might 
bring  him  to  account,  though  it  seemed  he  was  willing 
to  run  the  risk  rather  than  restore  the  goods.  I  availed 
myself  of  the  service  of  his  carriers ;  but  I  left  the  king 
with  the  bitter  intention  to  do  him  all  the  injury  I 
could  as  soon  as  opportunity  presented  itself. 

I  arrived  at  Eoporu  on  the  25th  of  April,  1868, 
Kaifal  had  not  yet  come,  and  did  not  arrive  until  three 
days  afterward.  He  now  appeared  indignant  at  Bes- 
sa's  conduct,  and  affected  the  greatest  diligence  for  our 
setting  out  immediately  for  Musardu.  But  first,  he 
would  go  to  Bessa  and  influence  him  to  restore  what 
he  had  unjustly  taken  from  me.  He  induced  me  to 
make  considerable  presents  to  his  friend  and  relation, 
Seymoru  Syyo,  helping  himself  also  in  a  manner  which 
nothing  but  my  great  anxiety  for  him  to  hasten  our 
journey  would  have  allowed  me  to  permit, 

Before  he  went  to  Bessa's,  the  principal  Mandingoes 
in  the  town,  Kaifal,  and  myself,  held  a  council,  in 
which  they  strove  to  induce  me  to  return  to  Bessa's 
with  Kaifal;  but  I  utterly  refused.  I  would  talk  of 
nothing  but  soldiers,  cannon,  the  burning  of  Bessa's 
town,  and  other  furious  things  ;  which  so  alarmed  the 
Mandingoes,  that  they  begged  me  not  to  write  to  Mon- 
rovia about  the  matter  until  Kaifal  had  gone  and  tried 
to  get  the  money.  In  this  council,  the  Mandingoes 
reminded  me  that,  as  the  Liberians  and  Mandingoes 
were  one  and  the  same  people,  I  ought  not  to  act  with 
too  great  a  severity ;  but  I  was  not  inclined  to  make 
common  stock  of  my  goods  on  account  of  that  identity, 
and  in  a  very  impatient  and  unreasonable  manner  I 
gave  them  to  understand  that  all  their  relationship  to 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSAEDU.  27 

me  depended  solely  on  the  restoration  of  my  goods.  If 
they  failed  in  that,  I  was  prepared  to  ignore  all  ties. 
I  was  in  no  humor  for  cant  about  kindred  ;  I  wanted 
my  money ;  my  feelings  were  sore  at  my  disappoint- 
ments and  losses. 

The  expedition  was  deemed  to  have  fallen  in  pieces. 
My  interpreter,  Jollah,  also  commenced  to  show  signs 
of  desertion  and  treachery.  I  had  always  suspected 
him  with  being  implicated  in  Bessa's  villainy ;  I  was 
soon  to  discover  that  he  had  not  been  entirely  ignorant 
nor  innocent  with  respect  to  Bessas  designs.  His 
connivance,  or  rather  the  assistance  he  gave  Bessa, 
was  so  glaring,  that  the  Mandingoes  at  Boporu  did 
not  fail  to  upbraid  him  with  it.  In  his  conversation, 
he  plainly  showed  that  he  had  gone  over  to  Bessa's 
interest,  though  he  still  continued  to  follow  my  boxes. 
The  ^Mandingoes  contemptuously  asked  him  in  whose 
service  he  was,  whether  mine  or  Bessa's?  Bessa,  it 
seemed,  had  promised  him  largely  if  he  (Jollah)  assisted 
him  successfully  in  his  villainy.  Jollah 's  crooked  ways 
were  such  that  I  could  no  longer  retain  his  services. 
Interpreters  began  to  prove  a  dangerous  attachment  to 
the  expedition.  Owing  to  Jollah 's  double-dealing,  I 
was  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  a  Veyman  to  act  as 
interpreter ;  and  right  in  the  middle  of  an  important 
conversation  which  I  was  holding  with  Seymoru  Syyo, 
this  man  suffered  himself  to  be  taken  so  ill  as  to  become 
speechless,  and  he  could  only  be  induced  to  recover  by 
the  promise  of  a  large  (dash)  present. 

Kaifal,  it  seemed,  had  greatly  offended  Seymoru 
Syyo  by  sending  me  to  Bessa's  instead  of  sending  me 
direct  to  Boporu ;  but,  as  I  have  before  shown,  it  was 


28  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

not  Kaifal's  fault  that  I  did  not  go  directly  to  Eoporu. 
However,  the  fault  was  imputed  to  him,  and  as  he 
could  only  regain  the  favor  of  Seymoru  by  gifts,  it 
was  thought  no  more  than  right  that  I  should  bestow 
them,  as  it  was  through  my  persistence  in  refusing  to 
go  to  Boporu  that  he  had  got  into  the  difficulty  with 
Seymoru.  As  soon  as  my  boxes  arrived  at  Boporu, 
Seymoru  altered  his  demeanor  toward  me.  His  dark 
and  grumbling  countenance  immediately  changed  into 
a  smiling  intimacy  and  friendship.  He  would  fain  have 
posted  me  on  wings  to  Musardu. 

Though  Boporu  is  the  capital  of  the  Boatswain  or 
Condo  country,  and  the  usual  residence  of  the  king, 
Momoru  Son,  the  king  was  at  this  time  residing  at  a 
large  town  called  Totoquella,  eight  miles  north-east  of 
Boporu. 

As  soon  as  Kaifal  started  for  Bessa's  town,  I  re- 
solved to  pay  my  respects  to  King  Momoru.  I  arrived 
at  Totoquella  on  May  7th,  1868.  I  was  kindly  received, 
and  at  once  stated  to  the  king  that  I  would  have  been 
to  see  him  much  sooner,  but  that  I  was  a  stranger  in 
his  country,  and  had  supposed  that  he  resided  at  his 
reputed  capital,  Boporu;  that  when  I  came  to  that 
town,  I  was  informed  that  he  had  gone  elsewhere. 
He  replied  that  he  was  accustomed  to  divide  his  time 
between  the  two  towns ;  sometimes  residing  at  Boporu 
and  sometimes  staying  at  Totoquella.  I  then  informed 
him  of  the  object  of  my  visit;  and  had  to  frame  such 
an  account  of  my  former  proceedings  as  to  show  that 
it  had  always  been  my  intention  to  come  to  his  coun- 
try, but  that  I  had  been  thwarted  by  many  untoward 
circumstances.     And  true  it  was  that  I  would  have 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  29 

preferred,  at  the  first,  going  direct  to  Boporu,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  reasons  ah*eady  stated. 

Circumstances  now  forced  me  in  that  direction,  and  I 
addressed  myself  to  the  task  of  repairing  the  failures 
or  misfortunes  into  which  the  expedition  had  fallen. 
The  king  was  intelligent  and  communicative.  He  was, 
however,  chagrined  that  the  government — the  new  ad- 
ministration of  which  had  just  come  into  power — had 
not  taken  any  notice  of  him,  and  sent  him  a  (book) 
paper,  expressive  of  its  good  feelings  toward  him,  as 
had  been  the  custom  of  all  incoming  administrations. 
He  was  always  referring  to  a  treaty  that  had  been 
made  between  him  and  President  Benson,  during  the 
inoumbency  of  the  latter.  I  had,  therefore,  to  console 
him  with  the  notion  that,  as  soon  as  the  administration 
had  got  fairly  into  operation,  it  would  not  fail  to  draw 
up  an  instrument  similar  to  what  President  Benson  had 
given  him ;  as  well  as  to  make  such  other  arrangement 
as  would  satisfy  his  utmost  wishes.  The  king  in- 
formed me  that  be  was  at  that  moment  trying  to  stop 
a  war  between  the  Boozies  and  Barlines,  two  interior 
tribes ;  that  he  had,  in  order  to  promote  that  purpose, 
sent  five  hundred  sticks  of  salt  into  the  Barline  coun- 
try, and  the  same  amount  to  the  Boozies;  that  he 
had  instructed  his  messengers  to  use  every  argument 
to  incline  the  parties  to  peace ;  that  the  war  was  not 
only  hurtful  to  themselves,  but  that  it  damaged  him 
by  interrupting  all  intercourse  between  his  country 
and  theirs,  and  even  with  the  natives  whose  country 
lay  behind  them.  He  had  sent,  therefore,  to  beg  both 
parties  to  desist;  but  if  neither  would  listen,  he  in- 
tended to  indemnify  himself  for  such  losses  as  he  sus- 


30  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

tained  by  their  feuds,  by  seizing  persons  and  property 
belonging  to  them  in  his  country.  If  only  one  party 
was  willing  to  comply  with  his  requests,  he  intended 
to  assist  that  side  with  his  own  military  forces. 

Thus  I  had  to  endure  the  spectacle  of  a  barbarian 
king  practicing  a  policy  which  all  intelligent  and  en- 
terprising persons  must  think  ought  to  be  practiced 
by  the  republic  itself.  No  one  suspects  that  we  leave 
to  an  untutored  barbarian  the  quieting  and  settling  of 
interior  difficulties,  while  we  remain  ignorant  of  their 
very  existence. 

Every  one  would  suppose  that,  to  a  source  to  which 
we  look  for  a  great  part  of  our  interior  trade,  such  as 
country  cloths,  and  bullocks,  and  ivory,  a  rational 
solicitude,  at  least,  would  be  shown  that  it  be  not  in- 
terrupted or  broken  off.  Yet  it  is  a  fact  that  this  royal 
barbarian,  without  revenue,  and  without  any  of  the  re- 
sources to  which  we  pretend,  by  following  the  policy 
of  interfering  in  all  interior  concerns,  is  better  known 
and  has  greater  influence  from  Boporu  to  Musardu, 
and  even  beyond,  than  the  civilized  Kepublic  of  Libe- 
ria; and  this  is  done  by  sending  a  few  sticks  of  salt, 
accompanied  by  a  friendly  request  or  a  threatening 
mandate. 

Salt,  in  the  settling  of  difficulties,  has  a  peculiar 
propriety — it  is  a  sign  of  peace  as  well  as  a  commodity 
of  value  for  traffic.  If  it  was  the  policy  of  the  govern- 
ment to  interfere  in  these  concerns,  a  hogshead  of  salt 
might  pacify  the  whole  country  from  Boporu  to  Bar- 
line.  The  king  had  also  interfered  in  a  matter  between 
the  Boozies  themselves ;  in  which  it  seemed  that  one 
of  their  chiefs,  faithless  to  the  common  interest,  had 


.    A  JOURNEY   TO   MUSARDU.  31 

clandestinely  given  assistance  to  the  Barlines  against 
his  own  countrymen.  This  treachery  being  discovered, 
he  had  been  seized  and  confined — or  put  in  stick,  as 
they  call  it  This  mode  of  confinement  consists  in 
having  the  ankle  of  the  right  foot  bound  securely  to  a 
heavy  log,  four  or  five  feet  long,  by  means  of  an  iron 
band  driven  deep  into  the  wood. 

The  father  of  this  recreant  chief,  before  his  death, 
had  placed  his  children  unc^r  King  Momoru's  protec- 
tion. The  king  was  therefiDre  solicitous  that  this  in- 
discretion should  not  cost  the  young  prince  his  liberty, 
and  perhaps  his  head ;  of  the  former  of  which  he  had 
already  been  deprived,  and  the  latter  was  being 
seriously  discussed  among  the  Boozie  chiefs.  In  this 
affair  the  king  desired  that,  as  I  would  have  to  pass 
through  that  country,  he  wished  me  to  assist  in  plead- 
ing for  the  young  man.     I  pledged  my  best  efforts. 

There  was  also  a  difficulty  between  the  king  and  the 
Boondee  people,  who  live  north-west  of  Boporu.  These 
people  hold  a  nominal  fealty  to  King  Momoru,  and  even 
this  they  are  slack  or  remiss  in  acknowledging. 

The  king  now  chose  to  remove  his  court  from  To- 
toquella  to  Boporu.  None  was  more  eager  for  this 
change  than  myself;  for  it  carried  his  person  and  influ- 
ence just  where  I  wished  to  make  use  of  them.  He 
left  the  town  May  10th,  1868,  accompanied  by  his 
courtiers,  warriors,  women,  servants,  and  musicians  of 
the  last  of  which  there  were  two  kinds :  those  who  per- 
formed on  horns  and  drums,  and  those  who  sang  the 
praises  of  the  king,  timing  their  music  with  a  sort  of  iron 
cymbal,  one  part  being  fitted  to  the  thumb  of  the  left 
hand,  and  beaten  with  a  piece  of  iron  by  the  right. 


32  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

When  the  king  and  his  retinue  had  passed  the  outer 
gates  of  the  barricade,  a  Mandingo  priest  came  out 
and  pronounced  a  benediction  on  the  royal  departure. 
As.  soon  as  this  was  over,  we  started ;  the  king  walk- 
ing all  the  way :  he  had  but  to  say  the  word,  and 
they  would  have  carried  him.  "We  were  preceded  by 
the  singing  men,  who,  with  the  clang  of  their  iron  cym- 
bals and  their  vociferous  vocalisms,  nearly  deafened 
me.  After  two  or  thr  c  hours  spent  in  traveling, 
halting,  singing,  firing  muskets,  and  all  sorts  of  noisy 
demonstrations,  we  came  to  Boporn.  The  king  en- 
tered the  town  and  went  directly  to  his  own  resi- 
dence. Every  body  came  to  do  homage  and  welcome 
his  arrival.  But  nothing  appeared  more  respectful 
than  the  Mandingo  priests,  who  came  in  a  bod}^,  habited 
in  their  white  and  scarlet  robes ;  tall,  dignified  black 
men,  witb  countenances  solemn  and  intelligent.  It  is 
remarkable  how  orderly  and  sociable  these  gatherings 
upon  such  occasions  conduct  themselves.  Nothing  of 
the  rowdyism  and  clamor  for  which  communities 
highly  civilized  are  sometimes  notorious.  The  day 
was  concluded  with  dancing,  feasting,  and  warlike  ex- 
ercises. The  next  day  beheld  every  thing  settled 
down  into  its  usual  routine.  I  was  now  to  discover 
the  character  of  Kaifal  in  its  true  light.  He  had 
always  affected  piety  and  uprightness ;  nothing  very 
material  had  occurred  to  alter  my  opinion.  To  be 
sure,  he  had  lately  shown  intense  craving  for  my  large 
silver  spoon,  yet  I  was  inclined  to  be  charitable  to 
this  human  weakness.  He  went  to  Bessa's,  solemnly 
assuring  me  that  he  would  be  gone  but  two  or  three 
days;    he    staid  three  weeks,  which   caused  my  pa- 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  33 

tience,  and  confidence  too,  to  grow  less.  I  dispatched 
two  of  my  boys  after  him.  Upon  the  return  of  my 
messengers,  I  was  informed  that  he  had  been  gene- 
rously entertained  by  Bessa,  that  a  sheep  had  been 
slain,  and  other  good  offices  done  for  him.  I  became 
alarmed  lest  such  friendly  cheer  would  lessen  his  zeal 
to  recover  my  goods.  Bat  when  I  was  further  in- 
formed that  Kaifal  had  been  engaged  in  practicing 
certain  rites,  such  as  the  interment  of  beef  bones  bound 
round  with  transcripts  from  the  Koran,  which  was  to 
be  efficacious  for  Bessa  in  peace  or  war,  I  immediately 
understood  this  last  act  to  be  directed  against  myself 
I  therefore  lost  no  time  in  ingratiating  myself  with  the 
king.  And  there  was  scarcely  any  thing  I  had  to  pro- 
pose that  was  not  favorably  entertained  and  facilitated. 
I  had  strengthened  my  influence  by  gifts,  as  well  as  by 
the  great  amusement  my  stereoscope  afforded  him.  I 
had  thoroughly  instructed  him  in  the  purposes  of  my 
mission ;  and  showed  liim  how  discreditable  it  would 
be  to  his  name  and  his  honor  if  any  thing  should  befall 
me  and  my  effects  within  the  precincts  of  his  domi- 
nions, so  that  I  should  not  be  able  to  carry  out  the 
wishes  of  the  promoters  of  the  expedition.  In  this 
part  of  my  affairs  I  was  particularly  blessed  by  Provi- 
dence in  getting  in  my  interest  a  near  relation  of  the 
king's.  lie  was  a  Golah  man  by  the  civilized  name  of 
Chancelor.  lie  had  long  resided  both  at  Monrovia  and 
Cape  Palmas  with  one  of  the  best  citizens.  Dr.  S.  F. 
McGill,  and  could  speak  English  fluently,  besides 
several  native  tongues.  He  adhered  with  unflagging 
zeal  to  my  interest,  and  never  ceased  importuning  his 
royal  kinsman  night   and  day  respecting  my  aflairs. 


84  A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU. 

He  was  of  mild  disposition,  full  of  encouragement  and 
sympathy;  having  nothing  to  contradict  the  universal 
benevolence  of  his  person  and  character  except  a  huge, 
antiquated  horse-pistol,  without  which  he  was  never 
seen,  and  which  became  a  subject  of  merriment,  as  being 
a  burden  without  a  benefit,  perfectly  innocent  in  all 
things  except  its  weight.  I  had  now  determined  to 
use  all  my  influence  against  Kaifal  and  Bessa.  I  had 
been  robbed  of  one  part  of  my  goods  by  the  one, 
and  inveigled  out  of  another  part  by  the  other.  The 
purposes  of  the  expedition  had  been  baffled,  though  I 
had  striven  to  the  utmost  to  accomplish  them. 

Momoru  might  be  avaricious,  but  his  avarice  was  a 
virtue  to  Bessa's  rapacity  and  KaifaPs  unprincipled 
dealings.  If  the  king  wished  me  to  give  him  any 
thing,  his  requests  were  always  accompanied  with 
politeness  and  desert,  arising  from  the  prospect  of  his 
facilitating  my  journey  to  Musardu.  I  made  a  formal 
complaint  against  Kaifal  and  Bessa;  presenting  the 
king  a  w^ritten  list  of  all  the  goods  they  had  unfairly 
gotten  from  me.  He  convened  the  leading  Mandin- 
goes  of  the  town  and  the  principal  chiefs.  The  king 
himself  opened  this  grand  palaver,  declaring  "that 
owing  to  the  acts  of  some  of  the  Mandingoes,  many 
things  had  been  said  by  the  Liberians  tending  to  les- 
sen his  character.  Whenever  the  Liberians  lost  their 
money  by  trade  or  otherwise,  he  had  always  to  bear 
the  brunt  of  their  dishonest  actions  and  to  suffer  all 
kinds  of  disparagement  of  character."  Nor  did  he  ne- 
glect to  cite  the  instances ;  mentioning  as  a  particular 
case  that  of  John  B.  Jordan,  who  had  traded  in  that 
country  and  lost  considerable  amounts ;  and  then  he 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  35 

went  on  in  detail,  until  he  became  angered.  The  Man- 
dingoes  found  it  necessary  to  appease  him  by  all  sorts 
of  condescension ;  even  the  singing  men  were  called 
in.  It  was  necessary  to  adjourn,  that  the  royal  dis- 
pleasure might  cool  off. 

The  next  day  tlie  business  was  resumed.  It  is  the 
custom  for  every  body  taking  part  in  a  (palaver)  dis- 
cussion, to  deliver  his  argument  or  opinion  walking  up 
and  down  in  the  presence  of  his  audience  with  a  spear 
in  his  hands'. 

This  mode  was  observed  by  all  the  chiefs  who  spoke 
on  this  occasion.  Many  of  them  delivered  themselves 
with  such  spirit  and  sense  as  to  draw  the  frequent  ac- 
clamations of  their  hearers.  They  declared  that  they 
not  only  ought  to  be  careful  about  provoking  the 
Americans  against  them;  but,  as  the  money  was  for 
the  purpose  of  (dashing)  presenting  the  chiefs  through 
whose  country  I  might  pass,  I  ought  to  be  allowed  to 
give  it  to  whom  I  wished ;  and  that  none  ought  to  ac- 
cept it  unless  they  were  willing  to  accept  the  conditions 
of  the  gift  also. 

For  the  conduct  of  Bessa  and  Kaifal,  the  Mandin- 
goes  at  Boporu  seemed  to  have  been  held  as  sureties ; 
certainly  not  by  their  own  will  or  consent,  but  by  virtue 
of  their  being  most  conveniently  at  hand  for  any  purpose 
of  indemnification  that  might  arise.  Kaifal,  who  was 
still  at  Bessa's  town,  was  summoned  to  appear.  Bessa 
was  ordered  to  refund  every  article  according  to  the 
list. 

The  messenger  charged  with  this  business  went  to 
Bessa's  in  the  most  formal  manner,  being  in  complete 
war-dress.  It  was,  therefore,  understood  that  there  was 
to  be  no  trifling. 


36  A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU. 

Things  began  now  to  conspire  in  my  favor. 
Just  about  this  time  a  young  man  by  the  name  of 
Sanders  Washington,  from  the  settlement  of  Virginia, 
went  to  Bessa's  town  for  the  purpose  of  trading.  Here 
he  learned  what  bad  happened  between  Bessa  and  my- 
self He  at  once  advised  Bessa  to  restore  the  money 
before  the  consequences  became  serious.  Bessa,  becom- 
ing more  sober  than  was  usual  with  him,  commenced 
to  apprehend  a  severe  cbastising  from  the  government, 
and  right  upon  the  heels  of  what  was  to  be  feared  from 
the  Americans  came  Momoru's  no  less  dreaded  de- 
mands. 

Bessa  quickly  gave  up  the  things  to  Mr.  Sanders 
Washington,  and  consoled  himself  in  a  drunken  spree. 
Mr.  Washington  immediately  sent  the  things  to  Bo- 
poru. 

Kaifal  now  made  his  appearance.  It  was  the  28th 
of  May,  1868.  He  came  before  the  king  and  council 
dressed  in  a  dark- blue  tobe  ;  a  red  cap  bordered  with 
a  white  band,  the  badge  of  his  sacerdotal  order,  on  his 
head;  sandals  on  his  feet;  his  prayer-beads  in  his 
hands;  his  face  and  faculties  prepared  for  the  worst. 
He  was  ordered  to  account  for  the  manner  he  had  con- 
ducted my  affairs.  He  commenced  defending  himself 
by  declaring  that  what  had  happened  to  me  was  the 
result  of  m}^  own  obstinacy ;  for  when  he  wished  to 
send  me  directly  to  Boporu,  I  had  insisted  on  going 
elsewhere.  He  further  said  that  if  I  could  have  passed 
through  the  country  anywhere  else,  they  would  have 
never  seen  my  face  at  Boporu ;  which  was  indeed  true. 
He  caused  disagreeable  questions  to  be  put  to  me  re- 
specting that  matter :  this  was  his  only  advantage,  and 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  37 

he  clung  to  it.  He  declared  that  I  had  absolutely  re- 
fused to  go  to  Boporu,  and  that  I  had  maligned  the 
king,  and  that  I  had  gone  to  Bessa's,  where  my  indis- 
cretion had  got  me  into  trouble  and  made  me  lose  my 
money ;  that  Bessa  had  acted  in  all  things  honestly. 

His  argument  was  partly  true  and  partly  false.  All 
he  averred  respecting  Boporu  was  indeed  true;  but 
borrowing  the  courage  which  the  truth  about  Boporu 
gave  him,  his  assertions  about  Bessa's  conduct  were 
bold  and  barefaced  lies.  I  replied  that  it  was  solely 
upon  his  advice  that  I  had  gone  to  Bessa's ;  that  as  to 
my  coming  to  Boporu,  he  plainly  saw  I  was  there, 
and  that  without  consulting  him. 

He  dwelt  incessantly  on  my  refusal  to  go  to  Boporu, 
and  more  than  once  it  was  convenient  for  me  to  rid 
myself  of  his  vexing  questions  by  placing  the  whole 
blame  upon  his  interpreter. 

We  now  came  to  that  part  in  which  he  had  taken 
my  money  and  gone  off  to  Bessa's,  where  he  had  staid 
so  long  that  it  became  necessary  to  send  for  him. 
Being  questioned  why  he  had  done  so,  his  self-posses- 
sion entirely  forsook  him,  and  though  he  referred  the 
matter  to  a  rapid  manipulation  of  his  beads,  it  brought 
him  no  relief.  He  told  them  over  and  over,  but  they 
failed  to  enlighten  his  mind  so  as  to  furnish  prompt 
replies  and  ready  answers.  He  finally  stammered  out 
something  about  his  waiting  for  the  new  moon.  He 
had  not  regarded  that  luminary  when  he  was  getting 
the  goods. 

He  was  made  to  restore  according  to  the  list. 

I  was  now  in  possession  of  all  my  goods  again,  with 
the  prospect  of  being  able  to  prosecute  the  exploration 
with  success. 


38  A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU. 

I  was  also  in  a  better  state  of  mind  to  attend  to  my 
affairs  in  that  respect,  though,  as  I  had  all  aloug  ap- 
prehended, the  season  for  comfortable  traveling,  and 
especially  for  making  astronomical  observations,  had 
nearly  passed ;  indeed,  upon  every  attempt  at  an  obser- 
vation, clouds  and  vapor  made  it  a  difficult  and  uncer- 
tain matter. 

Boporu,  tlie  capital  of  the  Boatswain  country,  is  in  lat- 
itude 7°  45  03".  Its  elevation  above  the  level  of  the  sea 
is  about  660  feet.  The  barometer,  in  the  month  of 
May  and  June,  stands  from  29.18  to  29.40;  the  ther- 
mometer ranges  from  78  to  80  Fahrenheit.  It  is  situ- 
ated in  a  small  plain  near  the  foot  of  some  high  hills  E. 
'N.'E.  of  it.  Yery  high  hills  rise  on  every  side,  with 
an  elevation  from  300  to  650  feet,  coursing  along  in 
every  direction,  some  continuing  three  or  four  miles  in 
length  before  their  spurs  come  down  into  the  valleys 
or  plains.  The  soil  of  the  plains  is  chiefly  white  and 
yellow  clay  ;  but  near  the  base  of  the  hills,  it  is  gene- 
rally mixed  with  the  detritus  of  granite  and  other 
rocks  washed  down  in  the  rainy  season  from  their  sides. 
Grranite  boulders  of  various  sizes  are  found  on  the  sides 
and  tops  of  these  hills,  and,  unlike  the  granite  of  our 
cape,  which  is  of  a  fine,  dark  flinty  appearance,  present 
many  grades  of  tint  and  texture.  A  large  piece  of 
this  granitic  gneiss  forms  a  part  of  the  grave  of  King 
Boatswain,  the  present  king's  father,  broken  in  such 
a  way  as  to  show  the  red,  white,  and  gray  in  beautiful 
contrast.  A  little  art  might  have  rendered  it  more 
worthy  to  mark  so  mighty  a  grave.  Every  tree,  flower, 
and  shrub  of  our  cape  repeats  itself  here,  not  excepting 
the  water-lilies  seen  in  the  creeks  as  you  go  to  Junk, 
though  not  in  the  same  profusion. 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  8d 

At  Totoquella,  north-east  of  Boporii,  and  four  hours' 
walk  south-east  from  the  former,  the  St.  Paul's  Eiver 
presents  rugged  and  impassable  falls.  North-west  of 
Totoquella  are  beds  of  specular  iron-ore,  which  the 
natives  break  into  fragments  and  use  for  shot. 

The  population  of  Boporu  is  of  a  mixed  character, 
such  as  war,  commerce,  and  the  domestic  slave-trade 
are  calculated  to  produce ;  in  consequence  of  which 
there  are  as  many  different  languages  spoken  as  there 
are  tribes :  Yej,  Golah,  Mambomah,  Mandingo,  Pessy, 
Boozie,  Boondee,  and  the  Hurrah  languages.  The 
Yey  language  is  used  for  general  communication.  The 
extent  and  population  of  these  tribes  are  very  variable 
elements.  The  population  living  in  the  town  may  be 
set  down  at  three  thousand ;  but  then  there  are  many 
outlying  villages  and  hamlets ;  and  considering  these 
as  the  suburbs  of  Boporu,  they  undoubtedly  raise  the 
population  to  ten  thousand.  Many  of  the  Mandin- 
goes  themselves,  though  they  reside  in  the  town  with 
their  families,  have  villages  of  slaves  and  servants 
scattered  in  every  direction,  wherever  the  purposes  of 
agriculture  invite  or  encourage. 

The  Mandingoes  possess  strong  moral  influence. 
Scarcely  any  thing  is  undertaken  without  consulting 
their  priests,  whose  prayers,  blessings,  and  other  rites 
are  supposed  to  give  a  propitious  turn  to  all  the  affairs 
of  peace  and  war.  They  are  Mohammedans ;  but  as 
the  ruder  tribes  do  not  addict  themselves  to  the  intel- 
lectual habits  of  the  Mandingoes,  it  has  been  found 
necessaiy  to  adjust  that  faith  to  the  necessities  of  the 
case ;  and  to  temper  some  of  the  mummeries  of  fetich- 
ism  with  the  teachings  of  Islam.     Yet  are  there  to 


40  A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU. 

be  found  individuals  wlio  do  not  prostitute  their  faith, 
and  wlio  are  more  scrupulous  and  sincere.  It  is  be- 
lieved by  many  persons  that  the  Arabic  learning  of 
our  Mandingoes,  in  reading  and  writing  from  the 
Koran,  is  merely  mechanical,  or  a  mere  matter  of 
memory. 

Kaifal  took  a  small  Arabic  grammar  given  to  me  by 
Professor  Blyden,  and  showed  himself  thoroughly 
versed  in  all  the  distinctions  of  person,  gender,  and 
number,  etc.,  in  the  conjugation  of  a  verb.  How- 
ever, all  are  not  equally  proficient  in  this  respect. 

They  have  a  mosque  at  Boporu,  where  nothing  en- 
joined by  their  religion  is  omitted.  It  is  attended 
solely  by  the  Mandingoes,  none  of  the  other  tribes 
visiting  it;  not  because  they  are  prohibited,  for  the 
Mandingoes  would  make  proselytes  of  them  all  if  they 
could.  It  is  sufficient  for  the  "Kaffirs,"  (unbelievers,) 
as  they  are  denominated  by  the  Mandingoes,  to  buy 
the  amulets,  necklaces,  and  belts  containing  tran- 
scripts from  the  Koran  sewed  up  in  them,  to  be  worn 
around  the  neck,  arms,  or  waist  as  preservatives  from 
the  casualties  of  war,  sickness,  or  ill  luck  in  trade  or 
love. 

The  Mandingoes  are  scrupulously  attentive  to  their 
worship.  They  regularly  attend  their  services  three 
times  a  day :  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  ;  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon ;  and  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

In  these  services  I  was  particularly  attracted  by  the 
manner  in  which  they  chanted  the  cardinal  article  of 
their  creed  ;  and  many  a  morning  have  I  been  re- 
minded of  my  own  duty,  by  their  solemn  musical 
voices  reciting : 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  41 


^ 


^e 


4:1     u= 


La    il  -  la  -ha     il  -  al  -  1ft     hu     Ma-hamma-du  ra-  sul  il  -  Ift  -  hi. 

The  Mandingoes  living  in  the  Boatswain  country 
have  many  slaves.  The  slave  population  is  supposed 
to  treble  the  number  of  free  persons.  Tliey  are  pur- 
chased chiefly  from  the  Pessy,  Boozie,  and  other 
tribes.  Many  are  reduced  to  the  condition  of  slaves, 
by  being  captured  in  war.  Their  chief  labor  is  to 
perform  the  service  of  carriers  for  their  masters  in  the 
trade  of  salt  and  country  cloths  carried  between  Bo- 
poru  and  Yannswah. 

Inconveniences  and  troubles  frequently  arise  from 
this  kind  of  relationship.  Sensible  of  their  numbers 
and  strength,  the  slaves  sometimes  make  a  struggle  for 
their  liberty.  In  the  latter  part  of  1866,  at  the  death 
of  Torsu,  King  Momoru's  uncle,  it  became  necessary 
to  settle  some  debts  pertaining  to  Torsu's  estate.  His 
relatives,  in  order  to  pay  off  the  claims,  attempted  to 
sell  some  of  his  slaves.  These  slaves  were  staying  at 
a  town  called  Musadalla's  town,  south-west  of  Boporu. 
The  attempt  was  resisted  ;  some  blood  was  shed ;  and 
a  general  revolt  took  place,  in  which  all  the  slaves  in 
the  town  determined  to  defend  each  other  to  the  last 
extremity.  They  took  full  possession  of  the  town, 
renewed  the  barricades,  seized  upon  whatever  arms 
were  at  hand,  and  made  such  other  preparations  as 
greatly  alarmed  their  masters.  This  rebellion  had  been 
long  purposed  on ;  the  death  of  Torsu  and  the  attempt 
to  sell  some  of  their  number,  served  as  a  favorable 
opportunity  to  achieve  their  freedom. 

On  the  first  outbreak,  King  Momoru  sent  them  word 


42  A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARlDU. 

to  return  to  tlieir  former  obedience,  assuring  them  that 
he  would  overlook  all  past  offenses.  But  while  they 
were  deliberating  as  to  what  answer  they  should  re- 
turn, one  of  their  women  publicly  harangued  them 
against  listening  to  any  proposals  for  reconciliation ; 
that  King  Momoru  only  wished  to  induce  them  to 
submit,  that  he  might  the  more  easily  punish  them ; 
that  if  their  hearts  began  to  quail,  they  had  better 
give  their  spears  into  the  hands  of  the  women. 

This  speech  instantly  determined  them  to  stand  fast; 
in  their  first  resolutions.  Eefusing  all  accommodation, 
they,  sought  to  strengthen  their  cause  by  purchasing 
the  assistance  of  the  Boondee  people,  who  were  at  that 
time  at  variance  with  the  people  at  Boporu.  But  the 
Boporu  people  had  also  managed,  despite  their  differ- 
ence with  the  Boondee  people,  to  engage  their  services 
against  the  slaves.  The  Boondee  war  chief  received 
the  gifts  of  both  parties;  and  in  two  weeks'  time  re- 
paid the  poor  slaves  with  treachery  enough  to  chop  off 
their  heads. 

Arming  himself  and  his  people,  he  set  out  for  Musa- 
dalla's  town,  and  was  admitted  by  his  unsuspecting 
victims.  Afler  he  had  rested  from  his  journey,  and 
refreshed  himself  and  hisfolloweison  their  generosity, 
he  proposed  to  review  their  numbers  and  their  arms. 
Pretending  to  be  earnestly  enlisted  in  their  affairs,  he 
bade  them  lay  their  arms  on  the  ground,  or,  as  we 
term  it,  "ground  arms,"  that  he  might  the  better  judge 
of  their  efficiency.  The  poor,  credulous  fools,  by  no 
means  suspecting  any  perfidy,  readily  did  as  they  were 
bid.  At  a  given  sig-nal  from  the  Boondee  chief,  his 
own  people  instantly  drew  their  swords  and  bestrode 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  43 

the  weapons  of  the  poor  slaves  as  tliey  lay  on  the 
ground. 

Thus  disarmed,  they  were  thus  again  enslaved, 
seized,  bound,  and  led  out  of  the  gates  to  the  town  of 
their  betrayer,  who  at  once  sent  word  to  Momoru  that 
he  had  caught  the  "  slave  dogs."  He  was  rewarded? 
or  rather  he  rewarded  himself,  by  keeping  all  the  wo- 
men and  children,  sending  to  Momoru  only  the  men 
and  our  heroine  who,  by  her  speech,  had  so  greatly 
encouraged  the  matter.  It  was  determined  in  council 
that  the  slaves  should  suffer  the  penalty  of  death. 

On  the  morning  of  the  execution  they  were  de- 
manded to  say  who  were  the  chief  instigators  of  the 
revolt;  the  poor  creatures  had  but  little  to  say.  They 
were  led  out  of  the  eastern  gate,  two  hundred  yards 
from  which,  and  in  the  same  direction,  stands  a  huge 
cotton-tree  (bombax) — the  place  of  execution.  They 
came  down  the  path  naked,  and  in  single  file,  with 
their  hands  bound  behind  them.  As  the  first  person 
came  on,  the  executioner  with  his  broad  and  gleaming 
knife  ran  to  meet  him,  and  with  dexterous  cruelty 
emasculated  him  ;  after  allowing  him  to  bleed  and  beg 
awhile,  he  was  snatched  down  to  the  foot  of  the  tree, 
his  head  hacked  off  and  tossed  into  a  ditch  on  one  side 
of  the  road ;  while  the  yet  quivering  trunk  was  thrown 
into  a  cat-fish  pond  hard  by. 

The  woman  was  executed  with  circumstances  shock- 
ing to  humanity  and  decency.  All  the  women  in  Bo- 
poru  were  compelled  to  go  oat  and  witness  her  fate. 

But  to  the  chief  of  this  revolt  it  was  reserved  to  be 
buried  alive,  heels  up  and  head  down,  and  a  sharp 
stake,  eight  feet  long,  driven  through  his  body  level 


44  A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU. 

witli  the  ground,  and  a  tree  planted  over  him.  Their 
skulls  now  form  a  ghastly  adornment  to  the  eastern 
gate ;  and  I  have  seen  many  persons  go  up  to  them 
and  recognize  an  acquaintance. 

It  seems  to  be  the  practice  in  every  town  where  the 
water  favors  it  to  have  cat-fish  pools.  The  fish  are 
not  allowed  to  be  disturbed;  they  are  not  only  the 
consumers  of  the  offal  of  the  town,  but  from  their 
shark-like  and  snappish  manner,  a  more  fearful  ofiice 
can  well  be  suspected.  They  are  from  one  to  three 
feet  long,  and  will  lie  with  patience  and  expectation  in 
one  spot  all  day  long,  their  backs  raw  with  scars, 
which  their  own  ferocity  inflicts  on  each  other  in  the 
fierce  struggle  for  food. 

Boporu  has  a  small  market,  held  in  the  north-east 
suburbs  of  the  town.  The  bartering  is  carried  on 
solely  by  women.  There  is  no  established  currency  ; 
the  exchange  takes  place  of  one  commodity  for  an- 
other, according  to  their  mutual  necessities.  It  is 
generally  attended  by  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
to  two  hundred  persons.  The  articles  are  palm-oil, 
rice,  kaffee-seed,  shallots — a  small  species  of  onion — 
meat,  cotton  stripes,  tobacco,  kola,  earthen  pots,  etc. 
A  great  many  country  cloths  are  made  at  Boporu, 
every  family  having  a  small  loom.  They  would  eco- 
nomize both  time  and  labor  if  they  would  employ  our 
large  loom,  instead  of  the  narrow  six-inch  loom  they 
use.  I  have  no  doubt  they  would  do  so,  if  any  civi- 
lized person  would  interest  himself  to  show  them. 

These  people  are  very  sensible  of  the  superiority  of 
every  thing  that  comes  from  (Dru-kau)  Monrovia,  and 
they  attempt  to  practice  our  civilization  of  themselves. 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  45 

The  king  has  a  frame  house  at  Totoquella,  with  a 
piazza  surrounding  it,  all  of  native  construction.  He 
also  uses  chairs,  tables,  beds,  bedsteads,  looking-glasses, 
scented  soaps,  colognes,  etc.  He  took  great  interest  in 
examining  my  sextant,  and  even  the  pictures  in  my 
books ;  but  that  which  afforded  him  the  greatest  plea- 
sure was  the  stereoscope.  He  entreated  me  so  earnestly 
to  leave  it  with  him,  that  I  felt  myself  bound  to  gratify 
his  wishes  in  that  respect,  though  I  had  specially  in- 
tended it  for  Musardu. 

He  was  no  less  satisfied  when  I  flattered  him  with 
the  prospect  of  a  school  for  children  being  established 
at  Boporu,  telling  me  that  when  John  B.  Jordan 
traded  there,  he  was  accustomed  to  get  Jordan  to 
teach  him. 

The  king  spells  a  little,  and  is  somewhat  acquainted 
with  numbers.  This  is  the  place  for  the  missionary  to 
be  of  service ;  but  it  seems  that,  though  Mohammed 
has  a  small  mosque  and  school  at  Vannswah,  almost 
in  the  Virginia  settlement,  the  Christians  have  neither 
church  nor  school  at  Boporu. 

The  king's  authority  seems  to  be  of  a  mixed  cha- 
racter. In  some  things  he  acts  absolutely ;  while  in 
others,  such  as  war,  he  takes  the  counsel  of  the  subor- 
dinate chiefs.  He  is  judge  or  arbiter  of  all  important 
diflferences  between  his  subjects.  He  is  a  most  patient 
hearer  of  all  matters  brought  before  him.  1  have  known 
him  to  remain  in  his  hammock  for  whole  days,  listen- 
ing to  what  was  to  be  said  by  either  side,  and  his  de- 
cisions seemed  to  be  generally  satisfactory. 

A  very  peculiar  but  advantageous  method  obtains 
in  the  administration  of  justice.     In  order  to  obviate  all 


4o6  A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU. 

further  trouble  after  the  decision  is  given,  both  plain- 
tiff and  defendant  have  to  advance  the  cost  and  ex- 
penses before  the  suit  begins ;  the  very  articles  in 
which  these  charges  are  to  be  paid  are  placed  in  a 
conspicuous  manner  in  the  sight  of  every  body.  The 
presence  of  the  money  thereby  becomes  an  incentive 
and  stimulation  to  strenuous  effort.  As  soon  as  the 
case  is  decided,  nothing  remains  but  for  the  victor  to 
sweep  the  stakes.  These  cases  between  his  subjects 
are  frequently  taxing  and  vexatious,  yet  the  king  is 
said  to  always  preside  with  patience  and  a  well- 
balanced  impartiality. 

But  the  king  sometimes  takes  recreation  from  the 
severe  affairs  of  life,  at  which  time  he  is  apt  to  enliven 
the  hours  of  vacation  from  business  with  a  glass  of 
gin  or  whisky,  and  then  he  goes  playfully  around  the 
town  attended  by  his  people.  It  happens  that  his 
caprice  is  as  innocent  then  as  his  gentle  disposition  is 
in  his  sober  hours ;  for  he  hurts  no  one ;  only  going 
from  house  to  house,  joking  with  and  receiving  little 
presents  from  his  friends.  Sometimes  he  attempts  to 
dance,  or  to  act  some  warlike  feat ;  but  want  of  youth 
and  a  rather  fat  body  mar  the  practice.  One  day  he 
insisted  on  the  performance,  to  his  no  small  discomfi- 
ture. He  mounted  himself  upon  an  earthen  hill,  with 
a  spear  in  each  hand,  in  order  to  charge  down  in  war- 
like style ;  starting  in  full  tilt,  he  came  sprawling  to 
the  ground  with  such  violence  as  to  scarify  the  royal 
bosom  in  a  most  unseemly  manner. 

Before  I  left  Boporu  for  the  interior,  the  king  in- 
formed me  that  the  distance,  danger,  and  hazard  were 
so  great,  that  he  must  consult  the  sand-doctor  as  to 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  47 

the  final  issues  of  sucli  a  journey.  He  declared  that, 
upon  all  such  important  matters,  he  trusted  not  to 
human  prudence  alone. 

This  individual,  the  sand-doctor,  by  giving  his  fin- 
gers certain  motions  in  a  small  pile  of  sand,  is  supposed 
to  read  the  events  of  the  future.  We  were  carried  into 
a  thatch  hut.  Our  diviner,  spreading  out  a  small  pile 
of  sand  with  his  right  hand,  began  to  invoke  the  demon 
of  the  pile.  The  whole  thing  was  conducted  without 
thunder,  lightning,  or  any  thing  else,  except  the  rapid, 
voluble  utterances  of  our  diviner  himself.  Again  and 
again  it  was  demanded  of  the  flinty  wisdoms  whether 
or  not  the  expedition  should  be  successful;  the  re- 
sponses indicated  by  these  sandy  hieroglyphics  bid  us 
begone  and  prosper.  Thus  it  was  that  superstition  at 
this  time  seconded  the  purposes  of  a  rational  inquiry. 
The  king  not  unfrequently  chided  me  because  I  was 
indifferent  and  incredulous  about  such  matters. 

Every  effort  was  made  by  the  Boporu  Mandingoes 
to  prevent  my  going.  It  was  told  to  Momoru  that  ii 
any  thing  befell  me,  he  alone  would  be  held  responsible 
to  the  government.  Even  old  Gatumba  sent  word  to 
Momoru  not  to  allow  me,  under  any  circumstances 
whatever,  to  pass  and  "  go  behind  them ;"  for  he  de- 
clared that  I  was  going  for  no  other  purpose  but  to 
ruin  their  trade.  It  was  the  first  time,  I  was  informed, 
that  the  king  had  set  himself  in  opposition  to  the  advice 
and  counsel  of  his  chiefs,  many  of  whom  were  greatly 
opposed  to  my  passing  through  their  country  to  go  in 
the  interior.  I  therefore  exerted  the  greatest  industry 
in  purchasing  their  silence  or  assistance.  But  to  the 
Boporu  Mandingoes  I  held  threatening  language,  in 


48  A  JOUKNEY   TO   MUSAKDU/ 

which  I  informed  them  that  if  I  did  not  succeed  in 
going  to  their  country,  1  would  return  and  break  up 
all  their  trade  at  Yannswah. 

Mr.  Schieffeliu's  money,  however,  was  the  most  power- 
ful argument.  It  prevailed  over  every  obstacle;  it 
reconciled  me  to  prejudices  and  persons  the  most  diffi- 
cult to  deal  with  J  invoked  the  blessings  of  Mohammed 
on  my  head ;  caiised  even  the  sands  to  become  things 
of  sense  in  my  favor;  singularly  enlightened  minds 
that  before  could  not  see  why  I  wished  to  go  in  the 
interior,  and  finally  reduced  the  prospect  of  my  going 
in  the  interior  to  the  most  undoubted  moral  certainty. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  I  left  Boporu  for  Totoquella ; 
and  on  June  16th,  we  left  Totoquella  for  the  interior, 
our  company  consisting  of  three  Congoes — Jim,  Alex, 
and  Pickaninny — as  carriers ;  Chancellor,  the  Golah,  as 
interpreter,  and  Beah,  the  Mandingo,  as  guide.  The 
rest  of  my  Congoes,  numbering  fifteen,  had  returned 
to  Monrovia,  giving  all  kinds  of  false  accounts  of  our 
proceedings. 

I  had  now  again  to  experience  the  effects  of  the 
jealousy  of  the  Mandingoes.  They  had  determined 
that  I  should  not  reach  Musardu.  They  therefore  gave 
secret  instructions  to  the  Mandingo  guide,  Beah,  who 
was  to  accompany  me,  to  delay  and  shuffle  all  along 
the  route,  so  as  to  exhaust  my  means  and  discourage 
my  perseverance,  and  thus  to  finally  thwart  the  expe- 
dition. It  was  through  this  man's  tricks  that  I  was 
compelled  to  spend  six  months  in  going  to  Musardu, 
when  only  one  was  necessary. 

On  Tuesday,  the  16th  of  June,  we  left  Totoquella 
for  the  interior,  the  direction  being,  with  very  little 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  49 

deviation,  east.  The  hilly  features  of  the  country 
became  more  striking ;  large  granite  boulders  were 
scattered  here  and  there ;  small  creeks,  flowing  over 
beds  of  sand  and  gravel,  drained  the  country  from 
every  direction  into  the  St.  Paul's  Kiver.  About  half- 
past  four  o'clock  P.M.,  we  reached  the  north-western 
edge  of  the  Pessy  country,  and  halted  at  a  small  ham- 
let for  the  night.  Here  the  barometer  stood  29.19  ; 
thermometer,  84^. 

Wednesday,  the  17th  of  June,  six  A.M.,  barometer, 
29.20 ;  thermometer,  78°  Fahrenheit.  We  pushed  on, 
and  passed  through  another  Pessy  village.  The  Pessys 
seem  to  have  an  abundance  of  poultry,  sheep,  and  rice; 
here  we  halted. 

Thursday,  the  18th  of  June,  we  started  on  our  jour- 
ney, the  country  bearing  the  same  hilly  appearance. 
We  halted  at  a  considerable  village,  called  Sellayo, 
about  twelve  o'clock.  The  chief  was  swinging  in  his 
hammock  in  a  half-finished  shed ;  he  was  sullen,  and 
scarcely  spoke  ;  he,  however,  deigned  to  give  us  a  lit- 
tle palm-wine.  We  made  him  a  small  (dash)  present, 
at  which  he  was  quite  displeased ;  but  we  cut  short  all 
grumbling  by  starting  off  soon  in  the  morning. 

Friday,  the  19th,  we  passed  through  Nesebcah  (red 
hill)  and  Pollamah,  Pessy  villages,  and  halted  at  Zel- 
leki's  town  at  half-past  three  p.m.  This  village  con- 
tained 250  houses,  built  in  the  usual  style ;  the  body 
being  of  clay  and  of  a  circular  shape,  with  thatched 
conical  coverings.  This  village  wore  an  indifferent 
appearance,  showing  scarcely  any  activity  in  any  spe- 
cies of  industry.  On  account  of  its  sameness,  we  were 
3 


50  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

glad  enough  to  leave  it.     Outside  of  its  barricade  was 
a  large  creek  containing  cat-fish,  as  at  Boporu. 

The  only  thing  that  rendered  the  idle  hours  tolerable 
was  King  Momoru's  daughter,  who  had  married  a 
Mandingo  residing  in  the  village.  She  very  much 
resembled  her  father,  and  was  of  the  same  jovial  dis- 
position ;  and  when  I  left  the  village,  she  marched 
out  before  me,  with  my  musket  at  shoulder-arms,  at  a 
military  pace,  imitating  what  she  had  seen  at  Mon- 
rovia the  last  time  she  was  down  there  with  her  father. 

Saturday,  June  20th,  1868,  we  reached  Barkomah, 
the  largest  Pessy  town  in  this  direction.  King  Pato 
is  not  stamped  by  nature  for  a  king,  and  his  town  is 
neither  commendable  for  cleanliness  nor  industry.  It 
contains  300  dilapidated  houses,  half  a  dozen  cows, 
some  large  Mandingo  dogs,  about  800  inhabitants,  and 
is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  impenetrable  jungle, 
which  is  considered  a  sufficient  barrier  from  all  attacks. 
It  is  difficult  to  conceive  whether  this  plan  of  defense 
was  suggested  by  cowardice  or  laziness.  We  were 
lodged  in  a  miserable  little  hut,  about  twelve  feet  long 
by  eight  feet  wide,  and  five  feet  high.  We  had  to  en- 
dure this  bamboo  cage  for  ten  days,  because  our  guide 
had  friends,  who  made  him  as  comfortable  as  we  were 
wretched.  We  were  delayed  under  various  pretexts, 
the  chief  of  which  was  that,  as  my  boys  had  almost 
given  out,  assistance  had  to  be  procured  for  carrying 
our  luggage. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  we  started  from  Barkomah,  and 
crossed  a  considerable  tributary  of  the  St.  Paul's  Kiver, 
seventy-five  feet  wide,  running  in  the  direction  of 
south-west  between  banks  of  clay,  eight  feet  on  one 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  51 

side  and  fifteen  feet  on  the  other,  with  a  velocity  of 
forty  feet  in  fifteen  seconds.  The  stream  is  ten  feet 
deep  in  this  place,  and  is  known  to  overflow  its  banks 
on  the  eight-foot  side  in  the  depths  of  the  rains.  It  is 
crossed  on  slender  poles  tied  together.  Only  one  per- 
son can  cross  at  ^a  time;  and  just  as  the  burdened 
traveler  reaches  the  middle,  he  is*  arrested  by  a  tick- 
lish swaying  that  threatens  to  unbalance  him  into  the 
waters  below ;  here  lie  dares  not  move  until  the  res- 
tive poles  regain  their  quiet.  It  has  blighted  many  a 
prospect,  or  rather  melted  many  a  basket  of  salt.  In  days 
gone  by,  it  was  crossed  by  a  suspension-bridge  of  wicker 
work,  elevated  fifteen  feet  above  the  surface,  as  appeared 
by  the  remains  of  logs  and  withes.  This  stream  sepa- 
rates the  Pessy  country  at  this  point  firom  the  Deh 
country. 

The  Deh  people  are  a  small  tribe  intervening  be- 
tween the  Pessy  and  Bonsie  people.  They  seem  to  be 
a  distinct  people,  and  speak  a  strong,  rough,  guttural 
language,  similar  to  our  Kroo  tribe  on  the  coast,  whom 
they  resemble  in  many  other  particulars.  They  have 
more  fire  in  their  eyes  than  the  Pessy  people,  and  are 
said  to  eat  their  enemies  in  war.  After  a  half-hour's 
walk,  we  passed  through  the  Dey  villages  of  Mue  Zue 
and  Yalah,  and  halted  at  Dallazeah.  The  Deh  people, 
in  proffering  their  hospitalities,  offered  us  dog  for  din- 
ner, which  was  politely  declined. 

On  Thursday,  the  2d  of  July,  we  started  from  Dalla- 
zeah. Farms  of  rice,  com,  cotton,  and  tobacco  suc- 
ceeded each  other  in  an  order  truly  pleasing  to  look  at 
The  people  are  very  industrious.  The  women,  on 
seeing  me,  began  to  tremble  with  fear ;  and  though 


52  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

some  of  my  people,  with  whom  thej  were  well  ac- 
quainted, tried  to  assure  them,  thej  could  not  be 
persuaded  to  approach  me.  Keeping  the  direction 
east,  we  passed  another  Deh  village — Malung,  (water.) 
From  here  we  came  to  the  site  of  a  large  Deh  town — 
Gellabonda,  (lightning) — which  had  been  completely 
destroyed  by  a  civil  war.  It  was  so  elevated  that  we 
had  but  to  look  E.  S.  E.  to  see  a  large  part  of  the  Bar- 
line  country,  and  the  very  parts  in  which  war  was  then 
raging.  Indeed,  we  had  hitherto  followed  the  Barline 
route  ;  but  at  two  o'clock  p.m.  our  guide,  Beah,  changed 
the  direction,  remarking,  as  he  did  so,  powder  and  ball 
were  in  the  path  he  had  left.  "We  halted  at  Mahfatah, 
a  small  Deh  village.  At  night,  one  of  their  houses 
caught  on  fire,  and  but  for  the  activity  of  our  people 
the  whole  of  their  frail  bamboo  dwellings  would  have 
been  consumed.  These  people  travel  very  little,  and 
are  consequently  ruder,  and,  as  I  then  supposed,  less 
hospitable  than  the  other  tribes.  We  passed  the  4th 
of  July  here,  the  barometer  standing  at  28.89,  ther- 
mometer 80°  ;  ten  o'clock  a.m.,  weather  cloudy. 

Friday,  the  5th  of  July,  we  started  on  our  journey, 
passing  through  several  Deh  villages.  We  also  crossed 
a  small  falls  called  Gawboah,  with  water  rushing  over 
granite  beds  colored  red  and  gray,  with  seams  of  white 
quartz  and  red  feldspar  ramifying  the  bed  in  many 
directions.  We  halted  at  Zolaghee,  the  largest  and 
last  town  of  the  Deh  people.  This  town  contained 
800  houses,  more  or  less  in  a  state  of  dilapidation. 
Nothing  is  more  disagreeable  than  to  be  obliged  to 
take  quarters  in  these  decaying  clay-built  towns,  espe- 
cially in  the  rainy  season^  when  the  mud,  trash,  and 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  53 

all  the  soil,  frogs,  and  vermin  of  the  town  dissolve, 
crumble,  and  creep  too  near  not  to  annoy  sensibilities 
accustomed  to  cleanliness.  We  managed  to  tolerate 
this  town  one  day,  in  order  to  rest  ourselves. 

On  the  7th,  we  reached  the  Bonsie  country,  or  the 
Domar  division  of  the  Bonsies.  We  passed  through 
Powlazue,  Unzugahzeah,  Kaulibodah,  and  halted  at 
Yahwahzue.  These  towns  are  large  and  densely  peo- 
pled, surrounded  with  high  and  massive  walls  of  clay 
and  earth.  It  was  here  that  the  Barline  people  had 
been  lately  making  reprisals,  capturing  the  women  and 
slaves  on  the  farms.  It  was  therefore  necessary  that 
our  Bonsie  friends  should  exercise  constant  vigilance, 
and  be  ready  to  sally  forth  from  their  walls  at  a  mo- 
ment's warning  to  repel  these  incursions. 

You  no  sooner  arrive  in  the  Bonsie  countr}',  than 
a  contrast  of  cleanliness,  order,  and  industry  strikes 
you.  That  tribe,  continually  represented  to  us  as  sav- 
age, fierce,  and  intractable,  at  once  invites  you  into  its 
large  walled  towns  with  all  the  hospitalities  and  cour- 
tesy that  the  minds  of  this  simple,  untutored  people 
can  think  of. 

I  arrived  at  Zolu's  town  on  the  8th  of  July,  1868, 
at  four  o'clock  P.M.  The  walls  of  this  town  are  from 
oii'-litccn  to  twenty  feet  hijrh,  consisting  of  clay,  and 
VI  r\  thick.  A  regular  salvo  oi"  nuiskctry  announced 
my  entrance,  and  quickly  a  band  of  music  made  its 
appearance,  consisting  of  twelve  large  and  small  ivory 
horns,  and  a  half-dozen  drums  of  various  sizes  and 
sounds.  I  was  conducted  to  the  market  space,  in  the 
centre  of  the  town,  and  there  welcomed  amidst  the 


54  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

blast  and  flourish  of  Bonsie  music  and  the  firing  of 
muskets. 

Thej  were  astonished  and  overjoyed  that  (a  Weegee) 
an  American  should  come  so  far  to  visit  them  in  their 
own  country.  A  thousand  strange  faces,  whom  I  had 
never  before  seen,  were  gazing  at  me.  After  their 
curiosity  and  wonder  had  been  satisfied,  they  gave  me 
spacious  and  comfortable  lodgings,  and  commenced  a 
series  of  hospitalities  which,  from  mere  quantity  alone, 
became  oppressive. 

The  next  day,  my  friends  would  have  me  put  on 
American  cloth  ;  to  please  them,  I  did  so.  I  had  not 
shaved  for  three  months,  and  when  I  made  my  appear- 
ance in  the  'Merican  cloth,  together  with  an  unshaven 
face,  the  women  and  children  fled  in  every  direction 
from  the  frightfully -bearded  Weegee.  Many  a  Bonsie 
child  was  hushed  to  silence  or  sleep  by  being  threat- 
ened with  the  Weegee.  I  annoyed  the  women  and 
children  at  such  a  rate,  that  I  soon  deemed  it  necessary 
to  take  off  the  American  cloth  and  the  beard  also. 

This  part  of  Africa  likes  a  clean  face,  and  especially 
a  full-flowing  gown,  which  is  not  only  a  more  graceful 
attire,  but  more  comfortable  and  healthy  than  the  tight- 
fitting  pieces  which  we  call  civilized  clothing.  This 
town,  like  Boporu,  has  its  small  daily  market ;  but 
the  large  weekly  market,  which  is  held  every  Thurs- 
day, and  to  which  the  neighboring  towns  usually  re- 
sort, is  held  at  Zow-Zow,  a  very  large  town  fifteen 
miles  E.  N.  E.  of  Zolu.  I  visited  this  market.  The 
hum  of  voices  could  be  heard  in  the  distance  like 
the  noise  of  a  waterfall.  It  is  attended  by  five  or  six 
thousand  people.      The  bargaining  is  generally  con- 


A   JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  55 

ducted  by  the  -women,  except  the  country  cloth  trade, 
which  is  carried  on  by  the  men.  The  exchange  is 
generally  a  barter — one  article  is  exchanged  for  an 
other,  according  to  the  mutual  wants  of  the  buyer  and 
seller.  Salt  and  kola,  however,  have  the  character  of 
a  currency,  and  large  bargains  are  generally  valued  in 
these  articles.  They  are  the  expression  of  prices  in 
all  important  bargains.  Kola  usually  performs  the 
same  service  our  coppers  do  in  small  bargains.  These 
markets  also  have  the  character  of  holiday  or  pleasure- 
days.  Every  one  appears  in  bis  or  her  best  attire. 
The  women  wear  blue  and  colored  country  cloths 
girded  tastefully  around  their  waists,  their  heads  bound 
round  with  a  large  three-cornered  handkerchief  of  the 
same  material.  Blue  beads,  intermixed  with  their  fa- 
vorite "pateriki,"  (brass  buttons,)  encircle  their  necks, 
their  faces  ornamented  with  blue  pigment  and  smiles. 

In  going  around  the  market,  and  even  on  the  road 
as  you  go  to  the  market,  you  are  sure  to  be  loaded 
with  ground-nuts,  bananas,  and  rice-bread.  Kice  forms 
the  chief  breadstuff;  cassavas  and  potatoes  next.  Pota- 
toes grow  to  an  enormous  size,  and  will  weigh  from  six 
to  eight  pounds.  My  Congo  carriers  were  greatly 
elated  when  they  bought  a  bushel  of  white  rice  for 
four  brass  buttons  and  a  few  needles.  Considering  the 
large  farms  and  the  quantities  of  old  rice  from  the 
previous  crop  which  must  remain  imconsumed,  rice 
can  never  be  a  source  of  profit  to  these  people  until 
they  have  a  road  and  conveyance  to  cart  it  down  to 
some  civilized  settlement. 

The  two  great  farming  staples  in  the  Boozie  country 
are  rice  and  cotton.    Sometimes  the  rice  and  cotton  are 


66  A   JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

planted  together,  but  most  of  the  cotton-farms  succeed 
the  rice-farms.  The  cotton  forms  bear  no  proportion 
in  size  to  the  rice-farms,  yet  they  are  large ;  for  they 
have  to  clothe  a  country  densely  populated,  where  men, 
women,  and  children  all  go  clothed,  and  no  foreign 
manufactures  scarcely  reach  them.  Cotton-gins  would 
be  a  blessing  to  these  people;  for  the  manner  in  which 
they  are  obliged  to  prepare  cotton  for  spinning  is  pain- 
ful and  tedious  to  the  last  degree  of  labor.  This  part 
of  the  labor  is  done  by  the  w^omen ;  the  men  do  the 
weaving.  The  spindle  is  in  the  hands  of  every  woman, 
from  the  princess  to  the  slave.  The  dyeing  of  cloth  is 
also  done  by  the  women,  at  which  the  Man  dingoes  are 
the  most  expert;  and  they  know  how  to  impart  various 
shades  of  blue  in  a  permanent  and  beautiful  manner. 
Though  they  have  abundance  of  camwood,  I  have  never 
seen  them  use  it  for  the  purposes  of  dyeing.  The  chief 
colors  used  are  blue  and  yellow^ ;  the  latter  color  is  ex- 
tracted from  bark.  Taking  into  account  that  these  peo- 
ple not  only  clothe  themselves,  but  furnish  the  vast 
number  of  cloths  that  are  brought  to  the  coast  to  be 
used  in  the  leeward  trade,"  it  shows  what  the  cotton- 
producing  power  of  the  country  would  become  if  this 
primitive,  barbarian  industry  were  only  assisted  by  some 
labor-saving  machinery. 

On  the  second  day  after  my  arrival,  I  had  a  musical 
compliment  paid  to  me.  A  dozen  young  ladies,  from 
ten  to  eighteen  years  of  age,  serenaded  me  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner:  A  large  mat  being  spread  on  the 
ground  before  my  door,  the  young  ladies  seated  them- 
selves and  commenced  singing  one  of  the  songs  of  their 
country,  marking  the  time,  as  well  as  accompanying 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  67 

the  music,  by  means  of  hollow  wooden  pipes  four  and 
a  half  inches  long,  through  which  the  wind  is  forced 
by  beating  one  end  with  the  palm  of  the  hand.  "When 
this  compliment  is  paid  to  a  friend,  one  of  the  young 
ladies  who  has  tact  and  talent  improvises  a  solo  as  to 
his  good  qualities,  his  bravery,  his  good  looks,  his 
generosity,  etc.,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  all  join  the 
chorus,  repeating  the  words,  "Emmamow,"  ''Emma- 
mow  " — Thank  you,  thank  you.  It  is  also  a  very  deli- 
cate way  of  insinuation,  when  your  liberality  does  not 
always  satisfy  their  expectations.  My  liberality  in  some 
cases  "becoming  small  by  degrees  and  beautifully  less," 
a  young  lady  revenged  herself  on  me  by  singing  that  I 
had  a  "  giving  face  but  a  stingy  heart,"  at  which  they 
all  responded,  ''Kella?  Kella?"— Is  it  so?  Is  it  so? 
"Well,  thank  you ;  thank  you.  This  is  indeed  a  very 
delicate  way  of  insinuation ;  but  the  ungenerous  little 
rogue  ought  to  have  remembered  that  it  was  through 
my  liberality  that  they  were  enabled  to  have  all  the 
fine  brass  buttons  which  they  sported  around  their 
necks  at  the  Zow  Zow  market.  However,  I  hope  it 
will  be  considered  that  I  have  done  the  state  some  ser- 
vice, when  I  announce  that  I  have  labeled  nearly  all 
the  pretty  women  in  the  Boozie  country  as  the  property 
of  the  Republic  of  Liberia,  with  its  military  brass  but- 
tons, (pateriki.) 

The  Boozies  are  a  very  polite  people ;  the  slightest 
favor  is  repaid  with  an  *'  Emmamo  vv  " — Thank  you.  Do 
you  dance  or  afford  any  amusement  whatever,  you  re- 
ceive the  "Emmamow."  Are  you  engaged  in  any 
labor  or  business  for  yourself  or  others,  you  are  as 
heartily  "  thanked"  by  those  whom  it  does  not  in  the 
3* 


58  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

least  concern  as  if  it  were  for  themselves.  If  you  are 
carrying  a  heavy  burden  on  the  road,  and  happen  to 
meet  a  friend,  he  thanks  you  as  if  you  were  doing  it 
for  him.  My  Congo  carriers,  who  were  nearly  fagged 
out  with  the  weight  of  their  burdens,  used  to  be  an- 
noyed with  this  kind  of  civility,  that  contained  all 
thanks  and  no  assistance,  and  the  Bonsie  "Emmamow" 
was  often  exchanged  for  the  Congo  "  Konapembo,"  (Go 
to  the  devil,)  an  exhortation  not  unreasonable  where 
misery  is  prolonged  by  politeness,  and  where  one  having 
his  back  bent,  burdened,  and  almost  broke,  has  to  be 
stopped  to  be  thanked  and  to  snap  fingers  half  a  dozen 
times. 

The  soil  of  Zolu  is  chiefly  a  red  sandstone,  and  the 
eastern  road,  worn  down  three  feet  by  constant  travel- 
ing and  the  successive  washings  of  the  rains,  exhibits 
to  this  depth  its  internal  peculiarities — red  sandstone, 
consolidated  in  proportion  as  the  depth  increases,  but 
of  crude  and  crumbling  consistence  at  the  surface,  with 
ramifications  of  clear  and  distinct  veins  of  white  quartz 
from  one  to  two  and  a  half  inches  wide.  On  some  of 
the  hills  there  are  large  boulders  of  granite,  and  some 
of  them  have  markings  crossing  each  other  nearly  in 
parallels,  in  a  direction  from  N.  W.  to  S.  E.  and  N.  E. 
to  S.  W.  The  markings  seem  deeply  ingrained,  and 
are  not  so  much  sensible  to  the  touch  as  visible  to  the 
eye.  There  is  also  in  this  country  a  stone  of  a  very 
beautiful  green  color,  capable  of  receiving  a  high  polish, 
a  large  piece  of  which  was  placed  at  the  eastern  gate 
of  the  town  for  a  stepping-stone,  and  which,  in  that 
position,  from  the  frequent  treadings  it  receives,  had  a 
finely  polished  surface.     The  character  of  the  soil  of 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU,  59 

the  plains  is  principally  clay  and  sand.  The  red  sand- 
stone at  Zolu  begins  in  the  south-western  portion  of 
the  Pessy  country,  at  the  town  called  N'essebeah,  (red 
hill ;)  and  it  is  in  this  vicinity  that  the  soil,  changing 
from  a  mixture  of  clay  and  sand  and  granite  pebbles, 
forms  a  red  clayey  and  sandy  composition.  Nessebeah 
is  located  upon  a  very  elevated  hill  of  red  clay  and 
sand,  which  presents  every  grade  of  condensation,  from 
a  loose  soil  to  solid  rock.  In  the  town  were  huge 
granite  rocks  resting  upon,  elevated  beds  of  this  red 
soil,  as  if  they  had  been  purposely  placed  there  by 
human  effort ;  but  they  owe  their  position  to  some  for- 
mer power  of  nature  and  the  subsequent  washings  of 
the  rains.  The  elevation  and  position  of  these  rocks 
serve  to  show  what  vast  quantities  of  soil  have  been 
washed  down  in  the  plains  and  valleys  below.  Yery 
extensive  views  are  had  from  this  site.  The  sides  of 
the  hills  being  rather  steep,  the  soil,  on  this  account, 
is  inclined  to  shelve  down,  and  to  lay  bare  entirely  its 
color  and  composition  from  the  top  to  the  bottom. 
These  red  slopes  form  a  curious  contrast  to  the  abun- 
dant green  vegetation  with  whicli  their  summits  and 
the  plains  below  are  clothed. 

I  arrived  at  Zolu  on  the  8th  of  July.  Here  it  was 
that  the  Mandingo  guide,  Beah,  according  to  the  in- 
structions that  had  been  given  to  him  by  King  Mo- 
moru,  was  to  spend  a  couple  of  weeks  in  trying  to 
reconcile  the  differences  between  the  Bonsies  and  the 
Barline  people.  Zolu  was  also  the  town  belonging 
to  the  young  chief  who  had  covertly  assisted  the  Bar- 
line  people,  and  who  was  now  suffering  the  penalty  of 
his  perfidy.     He  was  confined  at  Salaghce,  a  largo 


60  A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU. 

town  fifteen  miles  east  of-Zolu,  by  a  chief  called  Daffah- 
borrah. 

Three  days  after  our  arrival,  Beah  went  to  Sala- 
ghee,  in  order  to  open  negotiations,  both  for  the  release 
of  the  young  prince,  Cavvea,  and  to  stop  the  war  be- 
tween the  Bonsies  and  Barlines.  King  Momoru  had 
already  sent  the  same  proposals  for  reconciliation  to 
the  Barline  people  by  some  Mandingoes,  who  were  to 
act  in  concert  with  Beah  in  bringing  about  peace. 
'Nor  was  Daffahborrah  disinclined  to  entertain  these 
proposals  for  peace.  His  town  being  on  the  confines 
of  the  Boozie  and  Barline  territory,  was  more  subject, 
on  this  account,  to  the  incursions  of  the  latter,  and  in- 
deed on  his  town  had  fallen  most  of  the  brunt  of  the 
war. 

Beah,  after  two  days'  absence  at  Salaghee,  returned. 
He  informed  me  that  Daffahborrah  had  requested  him 
not  to  bring  me  to  his  town,  as  he  was  afraid  of  the 
great  war-medicine  which  his  people  had  told  him  I 
had  in  my  possession.  This  war- medicine  was  a  bottle 
of  nitric  acid,  given  me  by  Dr.  Dunbar  for  the  purpose 
of  trying  gold.  My  Congoes  having  witnessed  some 
of  its  effects  on  cloth,  metal,  etc.,  had  given  it  a  fearful 
reputation :  A  table-spoonful  scattered  in  a  crowd  would 
kill  a  hundred  men ;  the  least  bit  on  a  thatch  house 
would  burn  up  a  whole  town  ;  I  had  but  to  stand  out- 
side the  walls  and  throw  it  in  the  air  to  cause  destruc- 
tion to  any  town.  This  bottle  of  "  medicine  "  began 
to  give  me  great  inconvenience ;  every  body  refused  to 
carry  it.  A  big  bandage  of  rags  and  thatch  housed 
the  fiery  spirit ;  great  was  the  ceremony  in  assigning 
it  its  place  wherever  I  happened   to  stop.     Daffah- 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  61 

borrali  could  not  be  blamed  for  refusing  to  see  me. 
Beali  returned  to  Salagbee,  and  remained  three  weeks. 

It  was  now  about  tbe  beginning  of  August,  and  the 
depth  of  the  rains;  I  therefore  determined  to  shun 
all  exposure  from  the  weather.  "What  I  particularly 
dreaded  was  the  losing  or  damaging  my  instruments 
in  crossing  the  creeks,  with  which  a  country  rugged 
with  every  feature  of  hill  and  dale  is  everywhere  inter- 
sected. In  the  dries,  many  of  them  scarcely  contain 
water  enougli  to  cover  the  foot;  but  in  the  rains,  they 
become  torrents,  eight  and  ten  feet  deep,  with  a  swift 
and  destructive  current,  being,  in  fact,  drains  or  gul- 
lies tilted  toward  the  main  reservoirs,  the  St.  Paul's 
and  Little  Cape  Mount  rivers.  The  rains  had  fairly 
set  in ;  yet  the  quantity  of  water  is  much  less  than  what 
I  have  been  accustomed  to  experience  on  the  seaboard 
at  Monrovia. 

The  country  is  every  variety  of  hill,  plain,  and  val- 
ley. Standing  upon  an  elevation,  it  seemed  to  me  that 
the  people  had  attempted  to  cover  the  whole  country 
with  their  rice- fields.  Toward  the  west  could  be  seen 
the  rice-hills  enveloped  in  showers ;  succeeding  that, 
whole  mountain-sides  of  rice  partly  buried  in  vapor ; 
next  to  that  could  be  seen  a  brilliant  sunlight,  spread 
over  the  brown  and  ripening  plains  of  rice  below. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  describe  into  how  many 
scenes  sunshine,  showers,  clouds,  and  vapor  can  vary 
a  locality,  itself  an  expression  of  every  variety  of 
change.  Only  here  and  there  could  be  seen  patches 
of  large  forest-trees.  So  completely  had  this  section 
of  the  country  been  farmed  over  and  over,  that  only 
saplings  of  three  or  four  years*  growth  covered  the 


62  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

uncultivated  parts.  Kor  will  they  be  allowed  to 
attain  a  greater  age  or  size  before  tlie  requirements  of 
agriculture  will  clear  them  for  rice  and  cotton-fields. 

This  is  the  chief  reason  why  all  the  barricades,  or 
walls  of  towns,  in  this  section  of  the  country,  are  formed 
of  earth  and  clay,  instead  of  the  large  stakes  that  are 
used  by  the  natives  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Liberia. 

The  Bonsie  people  have  very  tractable  disposi- 
tions, and  are  wedded  to  no  particular  species  of  error. 
Fetichism  has  no  strong  hold  on  them.  They  be- 
lieve in  that  thing  most  that  manifests  K^the  greatest 
visible  superiority  or  power.  They  are  greatly  duped 
by  the  fraud  and  chicanery  of  the  Mohammedan  Man- 
dingo  priests. 

In  general  physical  appearance  the  Boozies  are  well 
built,  generally  from  five  and  a  half  to  six  feet  high  in 
stature,  with  stoutly  developed  bodies,  of  sufiicient 
muscular  strength  to  hold  a  United  States  musket, 
bayonet  fixed,  at  full  arm's  length  in  one  hand.  They 
are  an  exceedingly  healthy  people,  and  of  very  clean 
habits.  They  bathe  regularly  twice  a  day,  night  and 
morning,  in  warm  water,  besides  the  intermediate  cold 
water  baths  they  are  sure  to  take  at  whatever  creek 
they  happen  to  cross  in  their  daily  walking.  For 
cleaning  the  teeth,  they  use  a  brush  made  of  ratan, 
admirably  adapted  to  the  purpose. 

Paring  the  finger  and  toe-nails  is  carried  to  excess. 
And  the  women  at  Zolu  are  foolish  enough  to  pluck 
away  part  of  their  eyebrows  and  eyelashes,  things 
which  nature  had  not  too  lavishly  furnished  them 
from  the  first. 

Many  of  the  women  are  very  pretty ;  and  for  the 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  63 

many  faces  with  which  I  am  acquainted  at  Monrovia 
resemblances,  and  close  resemblances,  are  to  be  found 
among  the  Boozies.  Most  of  our  people  at  Monrovia 
are  fond  of  deriving  themselves  from  the  Mandingoes. 
I  am  sorry  to  say  that  this  Boozie  type  of  resemblance 
does  not  confirm  an  *origin  so  noble  and  consoling. 
We  must  therefore  rest  satisfied  with  humbler  antece- 
dents. 

As  soon  as  the  weather  permitted  traveling,  I  in- 
sisted on  Beah  resuming  the  journey.  But  he  framed 
many  excuses,  and  finally,  to  rid  himself  of  my  impor- 
tunities, ran  off  to  Bokkasah,  where  his  family  resided. 
Thither  I  dispatched  one  of  my  boys,  demanding  his 
return ;  but  he  refused  to  come.  Beah  was  trying  to 
carry  out  the  secret  instructions  he  had  received  from 
the  Boporu  Mandingoes.  To  trammel  and  obstruct 
my  going  still  more,  he  sent  word  to  the  Boozies  at 
Zolu  that  they  were  not  to  allow  me  to  go  anywhere; 
for  if  any  thing  befell  Momoru's  American  man,  they 
alone  would  be  held  responsible  for  it.  Three  times  I 
endeavored  to  leave  this  town ;  but  the  people,  by  en- 
treaties, presents,  and  every  means  of  persuasion  they 
could  think  of,  compelled  me  to  relinquish  my  inten- 
tions. 

Beah  had  duped  them  as  to  the  real  reasons  of  delay. 
Finally,  it  was  appointed  that  if  Beah  should  not 
return  in  two  weeks,  I  was  to  go  anywhere  I  chose. 
The  time  expired  without  Bcah's  making  his  appear- 
ance. 

On  Monday,  September  21st,  1868,  I  left  Zolu,  and 
went  to  Fissahbue,  a  town  in  latitude  7°  56'  09'  N., 
and  longitude  9°  50'  43"  VV.      I  was  now  entirely 


64  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

abandoned  by  my  Mandingo  guide,  to  grope  my  way 
to  Musardu  by  inquiry  or  instinct. 

Fissahbue  is  a  double  town,  or  a  town  partitioned 
into  two  parts ;  occupied  in  one  by  the  Mandingoes, 
and  in  the  other  by  the  Boozies.  It  is  well  built  and 
clean  in  appearance,  with  a  population  of  three  thou- 
sand inhabitants.  The  king,  MuUebar,  is  a  fine-look- 
ing old  gentleman  of  fifty  years,  very  generous-hearted  ; 
and  who  was  the  more  interesting  to  me  because  he 
had  an  equal  dislike  to  Beab. 

On  Saturday,  September  26th,  we  left  Fissahbue 
for  Bokkasah.  The  rough  features  of  the  country 
moderated  into  extensive  plains  of  long  fields  of  grass, 
ferns,  and  tall  palms;  the  hills  w^ere  at  a  short  distance, 
trending  along  in  a  direction  west  and  north-west.  They 
had  also  changed  the  character  of  their  formation  from 
red  sandstone  to  granite,  and  I  was  struck  to  see  these 
round  and  bossy  masses,  with  their  water-courses  shin- 
ing and  trickling  down  their  slopes.  Some  of  their 
tops  were  thickly  wooded,  while  small  tufts  or  patches 
of  grass  were  thinly  scattered  on  their  sides ;  but  its 
brownish  appearance  showed  that  the  sun  had  parched 
it  in  its  stony  bed  at  the  first  approach  of  the  dries. 
West  of  Bokkasah,  granite  hills  rose  one  above  another, 
crowned  with  a  dense  forest.  Whenever  it  rained,  a 
noise  resembling  distant  thunder  was  always  heard. 
In  the  months  of  July  and  August,  these  hills  are  the 
site  of  a  roaring  cascade. 

On  the  road,  we  fell  in  with  people  from  all  the 
neighboring  towns,  going  to  market.  Sitting  on  the 
road-side  were  numbers  of  young  women,  with  baskets 
of  ground-nuts  already  shelled,  offering  them  for  sale. 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  65 

Our  pockets  and  every  other  available  place  were  im- 
mediately filled,  gratis.  Such  is  their  custom  to  stran- 
gers ;  and  their  gift  was  particularly  enhanced  by  the 
repeated  liberality  with  which  both  hands  went  down 
into  the  basket,  and  came  up  piling  full,  to  be  emptied 
with  a  gracious  smile  into  the  capacious  pockets  of  our 
country  coats.  Then  followed  an  exchange  of  compli- 
ments; and  the  three  languages — Boozie,  Mandingo, 
and  English — got  into  a  confusion  from  which  smiles 
and  brass  buttons  alone  could  deliver  us. 

On  we  went,  munching  ground-nuts  and  receiving 
ground-nuts,  snapping  fingers  and  making  friends,  and 
occasionally  consigning  Beah  to  evil  destinies.  At 
last  the  road  suddenly  widened,  broad  and  clean  ;  and 
the  din  of  human  voices  assured  us  that  we  had  come 
upon  the  market  and  the  town. 

Bokkasah  is  in  latitude  8°  10'  02^  It  is  a  double 
town,  similar  to  Fissahbue,  one  part  of  which  is  Boozie, 
and  the  other  Mandingo.  The  walls  that  contain  the 
Boozie  portion  of  the  inhabitants  make  a  circuit  com- 
pletely oval.  That  which  comprises  the  Mandingoes 
butts  up  against  and  flanks  the  eastern  side  of  the 
Boozie  walls,  and  is  also  half  oval  in  shape. 

On  entering  the  town,  we  were  shown  Beah's  rcsi- 
drncc.  Astonished  at  our  arrival,  he  forthwith  tried 
to  make  some  slight  atonement  for  his  former  short- 
comings by  the  diligence  with  which  he  procured  us 
comfortable  lodgings.  AVe  were  soon  domesticated  in 
the  town,  kindling  up  friendships  on  all  sides.  The 
Mandingoes  made  it  a  point  to  be  foremost  in  all  these 
alliances.  Since  I  was  going  to  their  country,  they  took 
me  in  their  special  charge.   Among  the  many  attentions 


66  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

paid  me,  I  was  invited  by  a  young  Mandingo  lady  to 
go  with  her  to  see  her  mother.  We  had  no  sooner 
arrived  at  the  house,  than  she  commenced  calling  out, 
"  Ma,  ma  !"  '  I  waited  to  hear  what  would  follow  ;  but 
the  next  words  were  in  musical  Mandingo,  informing 
her  mother  that  she  had  brought  the  Tibbabue  (Ameri- 
can man)  to  see  her.  The  Mandingoes  use  the  same 
words  in  calling  mother  that  we  do.  This  interview 
ended  satisfactorily  in  a  large  bowl  of  rice,  with  fried 
chicken,  palm-wine,  etc.,  together  with  a  standing 
invitation  to  come  to  her  house  every  day  while  I  re- 
mained in  Bokkasah. 

The  young  lady  was  married  to  a  young  Mandingo 
by  the  name  ofFatomah,  whose  father,  Phillakahmah, 
resided  at  Boporu,  but  was  then  in  the  Barline  coun- 
try. The  kindness  and  good  office  of  this  family  were 
untiring.  I  also  had  many  friends  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  town,  who  were  constant  in  their  attention  to  me. 

Bokkasah  contains  about  fifteen  hundred  houses,  and 
about  seven  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  very  perplex- 
ing on  the  first  entrance  of  a  stranger  to  find  his  way 
in  these  towns ;  for  the  houses  seem  to  be  dropped  by 
accident  into  their  places,  rather  than  placed  after  any 
organized  method.  Chancellor,  my  interpreter,  though 
well  accustomed  to  these  kind  of  towns,  was  not  at  all 
times  assured  of  his  own  whereabouts.  A  woman  gave 
him  water  to  bathe;  after  he  had  performed  his  ablu- 
tions, he  found  himself  naked,  lost,  and  ashamed  to 
ask  where  he  was.  He  wandered  over  the  town  with 
the  vessel  in  his  hand,  until  some  one,  guessing  the 
truth,  brought  him  home.  One  does  not  lose  his  way 
on  account  of  the  size  of  these  towns,  but  on  account 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  67 

of  tliG  manner  in  wbich  the  houses  are  sprinkled  about. 
You  can  march  up  to  your  house  without  knowing  it, 
so  completely  does  similarity  and  confusion  repeat 
itself. 

The  market  of  Bokkasah,  which  is  held  every 
Saturday,  is  one  of  the  principal  markets  in  the 
Domar  country.  It  is  attended  by  six  or  seven 
thousand  people.  The  articles  of  exchange  are  nume- 
rous. It  is  also  a  great  country  cloth  market.  In  all 
these  markets  throughout  the  Boozie  and  Barline 
countries,  the  small  country  cloth  known  among  us 
as  the  trade  country  cloth  is  not  to  be  seen.  It  is 
owing  to  the  mischievous  industry  of  our  friends  at 
Boporu  and  its  vicinity  that  these  country  cloths  are 
reduced  to  so  small  a  size.  It  is  the  business  of  these 
interlopers  in  trade  to  take  large  country  cloths  to 
pieces,  and  make  them  smaller.  Similar  is  their  deal- 
ing with  every  species  of  trade,  to  its  great  diminution 
and  discouragement.  If  the  interior  trade  amounted 
to  millions  of  dollars  in  value  to  the  republic,  it  could 
never  reach  our  seaport  towns  while  the  border  of  our 
influence  has  been  removed  by  tribal  interference  and 
war,  and  confined  to  the  very  scacoast  settlements 
themselves.  These  obstructions  can  only  be  removed 
by  the  energetic  action  of  government. 

Ik)kkasah  is  a  town  very  convenient  and  cheap  for 
living.  Abundance  of  vegetables,  rice,  beans,  potatoes, 
plantains,  bananas,  ground-nuts,  etc.,  are  to  be  had  at 
all  times  at  the  daily  market. 

While  I  was  staying  here,  I  dispatched  one  of  ray 
Congoes  to  Begby,  a  Mandingo  chief,  living  at  a  town 
called  Bokkadu,  near  the  Boondee  country,  in  a  west- 


68  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

ward  direction.  As  he  was  anxious  to  see  some  one 
who  had  come  from  an  American  town,  and  in  Ameri- 
can dress,  I  tried  to  gratify  him  in  that  respect.  This 
Congo,  before  lie  reached  Bokkadu,  crossed  the  St. 
Paul's  Eiver  on  a  bridge  of  wicker-work,  and  the  Cape 
Mount  Eiver,  which  was  much  wider,  on  a^  corkwood 
float.  This  journey  occupied  three  days.  Both  of 
these  rivers  flow  from  the  north-east. 

Among  some  of  the  singular  institutions  that  prevail  in 
this  country,  is  a  kind  of  convent  for  women,  in  the  mys- 
teries of  which  every  woman  has  to  be  instructed. 
What  these  mysteries  are  I  have  never  been  fully  in- 
formed. They  consist  in  the  main  of  a  peculiar  kind 
of  circumcision  and  of  certain  other  practices  neces- 
sary for  health.  Attached  to  the  outer  wall  of  the 
town  are  the  houses,  fenced  in  on  all  sides  from  the 
gaze  of  passers-by,  and  especially  excluded  against  the 
entrance  of  men.  It  is  death  to  any  man  to  be  caught 
within  the  precincts,  which  is  instantly  inflicted  with- 
out reprieve  by  the  women  themselves. 

There  are,  however,  holidays  in  which  the  rigid 
rules  of  the  institution  are  relaxed,  and  every  body  is 
permitted  to  go  in  and  see  their  friends  without  dis- 
tinction of  sex.  During  my  stay  here,  one  of  these 
holidays  occurred,  and  I  was  invited  to  visit  the  sacred 
grounds  of  this  female  mysticism.  It  consisted  of 
rows  of  long  huts  built  low  to  the  ground,  the  lodgings 
of  the  devotees.  Each  complement  belonging  to  a 
hut  were  seated  in  a  line,  in  front  of  their  dwellings, 
on  a  mat.  Their  heads  were  wound  round  with  enor- 
mous turbans,  and  their  bodies  decked  out  in  all  the 
finery  their  friends  in  town  could  afford.     They  kept 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  69 

their  heads  hanging  down  in  a  solemn  manner.  Even 
children,  six  or  seven  years  of  age,  were  included  in 
this  moping,  surly  observance.  Their  friends  from 
town  crowded  around,  delighted  at  the  sight,  and  with 
unfeigned  pleasure  asked  me  if  it  was  not  fine.  I 
should  have  been  more  pleased  to  have  heard  these 
women  and  children  laughing  and  singing  in  their  rice 
and  cotton-farms,  than  to  have  seen  them  tormenting 
themselves  with  a  senseless,  morose  custom.  I  was 
carried  into  one  of  their  establishments,  and  made  to 
shake  hands  with  my  moody  sisters. 

As  I  have  before  related,  this  was  the  town  in  which 
my  Mandingo  guide,  Beah,  and  all  his  family  resided. 
Three  days  after  my  arrival,  he  disappeared,  pretending 
lie  had  immediate  business  at  Salaghee,  leaving  word 
with  the  town-people  not  to  allow  me  to  go  anywhere 
until  he  returned.  I  was  determined  to  free  myself 
from  his  tricks,  and  I  exposed  to  his  friends  his  deal- 
ings with  me  when  I  was  at  Zolu.  His  friends,  and 
especially  his  mother  and  sisters,  besought  me  to  wait 
for  him.  After  a  week  had  expired,  I  grew  impatient 
to  start ;  but  the  whole  family  of  women  came,  cross- 
ing their  hands,  and  placing  themselves  in  the  most 
suppliant  attitudes,  crying,  "Ejung,  Ejung"— I  beg 
you !  I  beg  you !  These  poor  women  were  honest, 
and  knew  nothing  of  their  relation's  crooked  dealings. 
They  made  use  of  various  ways  to  reconcile  me  to 
further  delay.  I  had  now  been  at  Bokkasah  three 
weeks,  and  had  been  foiled  in  every  attempt  to  get 
away.  The  sort  of  hinderances  through  which  I  had 
now  to  struggle  were  not  downright  tyrannical  opposi- 


70  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

tion  ;  they  were  of  a  more  powerful  and  moral  kind  ; 
supplications  based  upon  kindness  and  generosity. 

About  this  time  an  old  Mandingo  priest  whom  I  had 
met  at  Bessa's  town  arrived.  After  he  had  been  in 
town  two  days,  he  sent  for  me,  and  appeared  glad 
to  see  me.  I  related  to  him  the  difficulties  I  experi- 
enced from  Beah's  actions.  He  advised  me  to  be  care- 
ful, and  not  to  force  my  way  through  the  country,  as 
there  had  been  a  plot  made  to  hurt  me ;  and  he  went 
on  to  make  many  dark  and  pregnant  insinuations. 
He  exhorted  me  to  patience  and  prayer,  the  contraries 
of  which  I  had  been  provoked  to  by  the  artifices  of 
Beah,  and  the  consequent  delays  he  had  occasioned 
me.  The  next  day  the  Mandingo  priest  told  me  that 
I  had  better  make  a  "  Sallikah,"  which  is  an  offering 
to  good  luck.  This  offering  was  dictated  by  the  priest 
himself.  It  was  to  be  a  sheep,  a  penknife,  a  white 
country  cloth,  and  ten  white  kola.  Not  knowing  what 
divinity  was  to  be  appeased,  I  refused  to  make  the 
sacrifice  or  oblation ;  for  this  priest  was  subsisting  on 
a  dry  vegetable  diet,  the  hospitality  of  his  stingy  breth- 
ren, and  he  was  poor,  very  poor.  The  sacrifice  or 
offering  was  to  be  delivered  to  him  to  be  buried  in  the 
ground.  But  who  could  not  see  the  crafty  old  priest 
and  his  hungry  students  in  a  congratulatory  chuckle 
over  a  fat  sheep,  a  penknife,  a  country  cloth,  and  a  fool 
of  a  Tibbabue  ? 

This  sort  of  priest  is  numerous,  needy,  cunning, 
and  mischievous ;  they  distribute  themselves  in  all  the 
towns  between  Musardu  and  Boporu ;  and  they  did 
not  fail  to  present  themselves  to  me  throughout  the 
journey  as  "  god-men."      But  I  gave  them  plainly  to 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  71 

understand  that  I  was  not  to  be  gulled  by  their  prac- 
tices. 

I  now  dissembled  my  anxiety  to  depart,  putting  on 
a  semblance  of  cheerfulness  to  abide  where  I  was, 
and  a  perfect  indifference  about  going  anywhere. 
Every  afternoon  I  would  dress  myself  in  my  Mandin- 
go  toga,  and  go  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  to 
visit  my  friends.  Here  we  would  fritter  away  the  time 
in  talking  and  singing,  and  I  musically  entertained 
several  of  my  Mandingo  friends  with  the  beauties  of 
"  Dixie."  AVe  would  then  clap  into  our  prayers,  they 
repeating  the  Fatiha,  and  I  reciting  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
A  young  lady  begged  that  I  would  write  off  this 
prayer  for  her,  in  order  that  she  might  have  it  to  wear 
around  her  neck,  as  well  as  to  have  fillets  made  of  it 
to  bind  around  her  temples,  as  she  was  sometimes 
troubled  with  the  headache.  I  wrote  it  off  for  her ;  but 
I  made  her  understand,  at  the  same  time,  that  its  effi- 
cacy consisted  in  healing  the  ailments  of  the  soul,  and 
not  of  the  body.  While  we  were  thus  handsomely 
enjoying  ourselves,  the  terrible  Dowilnyah  sent  his 
messengers  for  me  to  come  and  see  him. 

Dowilnyah  is  the  king  of  the  Wymar  Boozies.  His 
messengers  were  tall  black  men,  with  red  and  restless 
eyes,  tattooed  faces,  filed  teeth,  huge  spears,  and  six  feet 
bows.  They  also  had  a  reputation  which  remarkably 
corresponded  with  their  appearance. 

A  discussion  arose  as  to  the  safety  of  my  going,  and 
it  caused  a  disagreement  that  ended  in  the  return  of 
the  messengers  without  me.  In  a  week's  time  the  mes- 
sengers returned  again.  I  had  resolved  to  go  with 
them.     But  my  friends  did  all  they  could  to  dissuade 


72  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSAEDU. 

me.  Many  of  Do  wilny all's  atrocities  were  repeated  to 
me;  Low,  wbeii  he  had  suspected  the  fidelity  of  one  of 
his  wives,  he  compelled  her  to  pound  the  child  of  her 
supposed  illicit  connection  in  a  mortar ;  how  he  had 
wantonly  shot  one  of  his  wives,  remarking,  as  he  did 
so,  that  he  had  only  shot  a  dog ;  his  terrible  cruelty  to 
his  prisoners  whom  he  captured  in  war ;  and  even  his 
cruelty  to  his  own  children,  one  of  whom  he  threw 
among  the  drivers,  {termites  hellicosi^)  and  which  was  so 
mutilated  by  these  voracious  insects  that  the  child  lost 
one  of  its  arms.  He  had  no  peer  in  cruelty  and  wick- 
edness except  Comma,  who  was  now  dead,  but  who, 
when  living,  went  hand  in  hand  with  him  in  evil 
deeds.  Comma's  town,  it  must  be  remembered,  was 
the  place  where  Seymore  had  his  right  hand  nearly 
slashed  off. 

I,  however,  left  Bokkasah  for  Dowilnyah's  on  Mon- 
day, the  2d  of  November,  1868,  and  arrived  at  Uk- 
baw-Wavolo,  a  village  at  which  he  was  residing,  on 
Thursday,  the  5th  of  I^ovember,  1868. 

Before  reaching  this  village,  we  halted  in  our  journey 
at  Nubbewah's  town.  It  was  well  built,  clean,  and 
strongly  fortified.  We  were  brought  into  the  presence 
of  Nubbewah,  the  chief.  He  was  an  old  man ;  tall,  or 
rather  long — as  he  was  lying  down — thin,  and  looked 
to  be  much  emaciated  by  sickness.  It  was  difficult  to 
arouse  him  from  the  lethargic  insensibility  into  which 
he  had  fallen.  His  attendants,  however,  succeeded  in 
awakening  him  to  the  fact  of  our  presence  ;  but,  as  we 
still  seemed  to  be  regarded  as  a  dream,  I  thought  pro- 
per to  quicken  his  consciousness  by  blazing  away  with 
my  revolver  against  his  earthen  walls.     This  act  per-. 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  73 

fectlj  startled  him  into  a  proper  regard  for  our  dignity 
and  welfare,  and  thereupon  we  were  well  fed,  comfort- 
ablj  lodged,  and  liberally  presented  with  mats  and 
country  cloths,  etc. 

On  Wednesday,  we  traveled  until  we  reached  Boe, 
a  very  large  town  belonging  to  the  Wymar  Boozies. 
This  town,  with  some  outlying  villages,  is  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Wymar  country,  which  is  separated  from 
the  Domar  by  a  narrow  creek,  acknowledged  as  a 
boundary.  The  village  where  the  king  was  staying  is 
E.N.E.  of  Boe,  and  about  two  and  a  half  hours'  walk 
from  tbat  town. 

A  temporary  misunderstanding  between  the  king 
and  some  of  his  chiefs  had  caused  him  to  reside  in 
this  secluded  hamlet. 

It  appears  that  Boe  had  been  threatened  with  an 
attack  from  the  Domar  Boozies.  Succor  was  immedi- 
ately requested  from  Dowilnyah,  who  quickjy  marched 
from  his  capital,  Gubbewallab,  to  the  defense  of  Boe. 
He  succeeded  in  defeating  the  Domars.  But  during 
his  residence  at  Boe,  so  overshadowing  was  his  influ- 
ence and  power,  that  the  subordinate  chiefs  found 
themselves  nearly  stripped  of  the  authority  they  were 
accustomed  to  exercise.  A  general  dissatisfaction  en- 
sued, on  which  the  king  became  so  indignant  that  ho 
withdrew  from  Boe,  drawing  in  his  train  every  thing 
that  rendered  that  town  attractive  and  important. 
He  remained  deaf  to  every  solicitation  to  return. 
And  here,  at  this  village,  he  held  his  court,  giving  au- 
dience to  the  messengers  of  interior  chiefs,  granting 
fiivors,  adjusting  disputes.  The  village  was  aliye  with 
4 


74  A  JOUKNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

the  chiefs  of  other  towns,  messengers  going  and  coming, 
fine-looking  women,  warriors,  etc. 

When  we  drew  near  the  village,  we  were  requested 
by  our  guides  to  discharge  our  pieces,  in  order  to  in- 
form the  king  of  our  arrival.  This  being  done,  we  en- 
tered. The  king,  seated  on  a  mat,  was  dressed  in  a 
gaudy- figured  country  robe  ;  on  his  head  was  a  large 
blue  and  red  cloth  cap,  stuck  all  over  with  the  talons 
of  large  birds.  At  his  side  was  seated  his  chief  coun- 
selor, whose  name  was  Jebbue,  a  man  of  very  large 
proportions,  but  of  a  mild  and  gentle  countenance. 
The  king  was  surrounded  by  his  people,  all  various- 
ly dressed  in  white,  blue,  striped,  and  yellow  country 
coats. 

His  countenance  assured  us  that  he  had  not  been 
misrepresented,  notwithstanding  his  effort  to  compose 
it  in  a  peaceful  manner.  It  was  one  of  the  most 
threatening  and  the  blackest  visages  I  had  seen  for 
some  time.  He  bade  me  welcome.  A  mat  was  then 
spread,  upon  which  we  seated  ourselves.  Suddenly  his 
iron  horns  and  drums  sounded,  bis  warriors  rushed 
forth  from  their  concealed  places,  performing  all  the 
evolutions  of  a  savage  and  barbarous  warfare.  The 
thundering  plaudits  of  the  people  themselves  increased 
the  din.  After  this  tremendous  flourish  had  subsided, 
the  king  arose,  and  stepping  forward,  he  waved  his 
right  hand  in  all  directions,  announcing  by  that  ges- 
ture the  uncontrolled  authority  with  which  he  reigned 
in  his  dominions.  Being  welcomed  again  and  again  to 
his  country,  we  were  shown  to  our  lodgings,  which, 
though  just  temporarily  erected,  were  comfortable. 

Friday,    6th    of    November,    1868,   I   visited    the 


A  JOUKNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  75 

king.  Stating  that  we  had  come  to  see  his  country, 
and  to  make  ourselves  well  acquainted  with  him  and 
all  his  people,  we  then  delivered  our  presents,  which 
consisted  of  a  piece  of  calico ;  a  music-box,  with  which 
he  was  especially  pleased ;  two  pocket  handkerchiefs, 
one  pair  epaulets,  two  bottles  cologne,  one  clasped 
knife,  three  papers  needles,  one  large  brass  kettle.  He 
was  delighted ;  he  told  me  that  I  should  not  regret  my 
visit  to  his  country  ;  and  come  who  would  after  me,  I 
should  always  hold  the  first  place  in  his  estimation ; 
that  he  had  been  informed  of  all  that  had  been  said 
against  him  to  prevent  my  coming  to  see  him;  but 
as  I  had  disregarded  these  reports,  he  would  show  me 
that  my  confidence  had  not  been  misplaced. 

He  was  anxious  to  see  my  revolvers,  the  fearful  re- 
putation of  which  preceded  me  everywhere  I  went. 
They  were  shown ;  their  use  explained,  and  their 
effect  exaggerated.  When  he  had  also  seen  the  astro- 
nomical instruments,  his  courage  entirely  forsook  him. 
He  requested  me  to  give  him  some  medicine  to  pre- 
vent his  enemies  from  poisoning  him.  I  replied  that  I 
had  no  such  medicine;  that  by  exercising  the  proper 
precaution  in  eating  and  drinking,  he  might  be  able  to 
escape  the  evil  intention  of  his  enemies. 

He  next  requested  me  to  fire  my  muskets,  that  he 
might  see  the  mysteries  of  a  cap-gun  ;  and  he  caused 
all  the  broken  pieces  of  the  exploded  caps  to  be 
gathered  and  preserved.  I  had  to  take  some  pains  to 
dismiss  his  apprehensions  that  I  would  hurt  him  in  any 
way. 

He  celebrated  my  visit  to  his  country  by  a  war- 
dance.     He  commenced  it  with  some  of  his  old  habits, 


76  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

in  which,  however,  palm-wine  flowed  instead  of  blood. 
After  he  had  supped  off  about  a  quart  of  that  beverage, 
he  retired  to  his  residence,  and  in  the  lapse  of  fifteen  min- 
utes, the  clamor  of  his  people  and  his  war-drums  sig- 
nified his  reappearance.  He  came  forth  with  wild  and 
prodigious  leaps;  a  war-cap  of  leopard-skin,  plumed 
with  horse-hair,  covered  his  head;  he  was  naked  to 
the  waist,  but  wore  a  pair  of  Turkish-shaped  trowsers. 
He  had  a  large  spear  in  his  right  hand.  His  dress 
and  enthusiasm  had  completely  metamorphosed  him. 
His  black  and  lowering  countenance  had  undergone  a 
terrible  change,  which  was  heightened  by  the  savage 
grin  which  his  white  teeth  imparted  to  it.  The  most 
frantic  gestures  now  took  place,  amid  the  stunning 
plaudits  of  the  whole  town. 

This  being  ended,  the  king  called  upon  his  women 
to  give  the  finishing  stroke  to  this  happy  business. 

The  ladies  of  Wymar  are  fond  of  dancing,  and  they 
spend  much  of  their  time  in  this  amusement :  they  are 
not  acquainted  with  the  polite  and  delicate  paces  of 
their  sisters  at  Monrovia;  but  for  downright  solid- 
footed  dancing,  they  can  not  be  surpassed.  They  are 
all  fine,  large,  robust  women,  and  have  the  happiest- 
looking  countenances  in  the  world. 

African  rulers  in  these  parts  travel  very  leisurely 
from  one  point  to  another,  and  at  every  intermediate 
place  where  they  may  halt,  are  sure  to  spend  as  much 
time  as  would  be  necessary  to  carry  them  to  their  final 
destination.  This  careless,  lounging  habit  of  wasting 
time  is  an  incurable  one;  arguments  or  persuasion 
strengthened  by  gifts  can  not  overcome  it. 

The  king  had  infqrmed  me  of  his  intention  to  leave 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  77 

this  village  for  his  own  town ;  the  very  day  was  ap- 
pointed He  did  not  leave,  however,  until  two  days 
afterward.  On  Tuesday,  10th  November,  the  king  re- 
quested me  to  fire  my  muskets,  in  order  to  announce 
to  the  neighboring  towns  and  villages  his  departure. 

He  preferred  my  guns,  because  their  report  was 
louder  than  the  cracking  of  his  little  English  fusees, 
many  of  which  I  was  assured  had  come  to  him  by  the 
way  of  Musardu  through  the  Mandingoes. 

At  ten  o'clock  we  started,  the  king  being  attended 
by  his  friends,  body-guard,  musicians,  and  women. 
Happily  the  town  to  which  we  were  going  lay  on  the 
road  direct  to  Musardu.  About  three  o'clock  we  came 
to  Ziggah  Porrah  Zue,  the  largest  town  and  the  capi- 
tal of  the  Wymar  country.  The  king  before  entering 
the  town  made  a  halt  to  put  on  his  robes.  Every  body 
dressed  themselves.  I  was  even  requested  to  put  on 
my  uniform,  which  I  did.  After  much  firing  and 
music,  we  entered,  amid  the  applause  and  gaze  of  the 
whole  town.  After  we  had  passed  the  gate  and  tra- 
versed the  town  some  distance,  we  found  ourselves  en- 
countered by  another  gate  and  wall ;  this  contained  the 
middle  town.  We  passed  on,  and  soon  arrived  at  the 
gate  and  wall  of  the  central  town.  Thus  there  are 
three  towns,  with  their  walls  concentrically  arranged. 
The  inner  walls  were,  however,  much  dilapidated,  and 
served  only  to  show  in  what  manner  the  whole  town 
had  been  successively  enlarged  ;  for  as  soon  as  an  out- 
side wall  had  been  built  around  the  new  outside  town, 
the  inner  wall  was  suffered  to  decay.  The  exterior  or 
outside  wall,  though  of  great  extent,  was  in  good  re- 
pair.    We  were  conducted  to  the  market-space  in  the 


78  A  JOURNEY   TO   MUSARDU. 

central  town,  which  was  spacious  and  convenient  for 
holding  large  crowds.  Some  arrangement  and  order 
being  introduced,  a  speech  of  welcome  was  delivered 
by  the  old  chief  of  the  town,  Dowilnyah's  uncle.  At 
the  conclusion,  every  trumpet,  consistingof  forty  pieces, 
sounded.  The  band  of  ivory  and  wood  belonged  to 
the  town ;  and  it  must  be  confessed  that  though  the 
execution  was  simple,  in  effect  it  was  really  fine. 
Many  speeches  were  made,  the  end  of  which  was  al- 
waj^s  concluded  with  music  from  the  bands.  These 
three  bands  did  not  all  play  at  the  same  time,  but  suc- 
cessively, one  after  another,  the  king's  band  being 
allowed  the  precedence. 

After  speech-making  came  the  war-dances  of  the 
principal  chiefs,  the  women  cheering  them  on.  Each 
chief,  as  soon  as  he  had  performed  his  part,  was  imme- 
diately saluted  by  the  king's  body-guard,  who,  march- 
ing forward  to  meet  him,  acknowledged  by  that  act  his 
valor  and  achievements.  Dowilnyah  closed  the  fes- 
tivities by  exhibiting  his  own  warlike  prowess.  We 
were  assigned  our  lodgings.  Every  day  we  passed  in 
this  town  was  given  to  festivity  and  enjoyment. 

One  of  their  chief  amusements  was  a  "jack  upon 
stilts,"  a  fellow  fantastically  dressed,  w^earing  a  false  face, 
and  mounted  upon  stilts  ten  feet  high  fitted  to  the  soles 
of  his  feet — with  which  he  danced,  leaped,  and  even 
climbed  upon  the  houses.  He  was  full  of  clownish 
tricks  and  sayings,  and  made  much  sport  for  the 
crowds;  he  belonged  to  the  king's  train,  a  sort  of  king's 
fool.  The  women  are  really  the  industrious  part  of 
the  population ;  for  while  their  lords  are  wholly  de- 
voted to  pleasure,  palavers,  and  wars,  the  women  are 


A  JOURNEY   TO   MUSARDU.  T9 

engaged  in  numerous  domestic  duties,  and  especially  in 
spinning  cotton.  Here,  also,  as  in  the  Domar  country, 
the  spindle  is  in  the  bands  of  every  woman,  from  the 
princess  to  the  slave.  The  women,  however,  enjoy 
themselves,  particularly  on  market-days,  which  at  this 
town  takes  place  every  Sunday. 

This  market  is  seated  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Paul's 
Eiver,  and  is  carried  on  under  the  shade  of  large  cotton 
(bombax)  and  acacia-trees.  The  commodities  of  ex- 
change are  country  cloths,  cotton  stripes,  raw  cotton 
iron,  soap,  palm-oil,  palm-butter,  ground-nuts,  rice, 
plantains,  bananas,  dried  fish,  dried  meat,  peas,  beans, 
sweet  potatoes,  onions,  (chalots,)  snuff,  tobacco,  pipes, 
salt,  earthen  pots  or  vessels  for  holding  water  and  for 
cooking  purposes,  large  quantities  of  Kola  slaves,  and 
bullocks.  The  bullocks  are  generally  brought  by  the 
Mandingoes  to  the  market.  Palm-wine  is  not  allowed 
to  be  sold  in  the  market.  Peace  and  order  are  secured 
by  persons  especially  appointed  for  that  purpose. 
After  every  body  has  assembled  on  the  ground,  these 
preservers  of  the  peace  with  long  staves  in  their  hands 
go  through  the  market,  ordering  every  body  to  sit 
down;  they  then  admonish  the  people  to  carry  on 
their  bargains  peacefully  and  without  contention. 
This  preliminary  being  gone  through  with,  the  market 
is  opened.  It  is  generally  attended  by  six  or  seven 
thousand  people.  There  are  several  large  markets  held 
in  the  Wymar  country ;  the  one  at  Comma's  town  is 
larger  than  this.  The  daily  market  held  in  the  cen- 
tral town  is  very  convenient  for  making  small  pur- 
chases. 

On   Saturdays,   sitting   under   the  shade   of  large 


< 


80  A  JOUKNEY  TO   MUSAEDU. 

acacia-trees,  I  have  watched  the  almost  uninterrupted 
stream  of  people  with  their  bundles  and  packs  coming 
from  every  neighboring  town  and  village  to  market. 
The  bridge  crossing  the  St.  Paul's  Eiver  would  be 
laden  or  occupied  from  one  end  to  the  other,  for 
hours,  but  it  proved  equal  to  the  purpose  for  which  it 
was  built.  When  the  Mandingoes  would  arrive  with 
their  cattle,  they  would  swim  them  across,  but  always 
experience  difficulty  in  getting  them  up  this  side  of  the 
bank,  on  account  of  its  steepness.  No  one  seemed  to 
think  of  remedying  this  inconvenience  by  sloping  a 
pathway  for  the  animals. 

The  bridge  is  a  simple  structure  of  wicker-work. 
From  each  side  of  the  river  the  ends  of  the  bridge 
depend  from  a  stout  branch  of  an  acacia-tree.  The 
roadway  is  of  plaited  ratan,  two  feet  wide,  and  worked 
up  on  both  sides  about  four  and  a  half  feet,  to 
prevent  falling  over.  It  is  further  steadied  and  sup- 
ported by  a  great  number  of  strong  and  flexible  twigs, 
which  connect  the  bottom  and  the  sides  to  every 
available  limb  of  the  trees  growing  on  each  bank.  It 
is  ascended  by  ladders ;  its  elevation  is  from  twenty- 
three  to  twenty-five  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  river, 
and  spans  a  length  of  eighty-five  feet. 

Ziggah  Porrah  Zue,  the  capital  of  the  Wymar  coun- 
try, is  in  latitude  8°  14' 45'';  longitude,  9°  31'.  Its 
elevation  is  about  1650  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
The  barometer  standing  from  28.08  to  28.12.  Ther- 
mometer ranging  from  67°  to  92°  from  November  14th 
to  November  30th.  It  is  seated  on  the  St.  Paul's  Eiver. 
The  large  market  is  held  between  the  river  and  the 
wall  of  the  town.     I  am  informed  that  this  river  runs 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  81 

N.  E.  by  E.  into  the  Mandingo  country,  and  that  it 
takes  its  rise  at  the  foot  of  some  hills  in  that  country. 
The  Little  Cape  Mount  Eiver  takes  a  similar  direction ; 
but  in  point  of  size,  and  in  the  number  of  its  tributary 
creeks,  it  is  superior  to  the  St.  Paul's. 

The  highest  point  of  the  slope  or  declivity  of  land 
from  Monrovia  to  Ziggah  Porrah  Zue  is  from  1600  to 
1700  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea  for  a  distance  of 
latitude  116  miles.  It  is  impossible  that  rivers  thus  sit- 
uated should  be  any  thing  else  but  the  drains  of  a 
country,  and  their  course  a  series  of  cataracts  and  falls. 

Every  afternoon  the  king's  body-guard  performed 
their  military  evolutions.  They  had  three  war-drums, 
one  of  which  was  bound  around  with  three  tiers  of 
human  jaw-bones.  A  double-quick  was  beaten,  to 
which  they  kept  time  for  about  half  an  hour,  without 
tiring.  They  would  then  enter  upon  more  violent 
motions,  which  were  more  of  an  athletic  than  a  military 
kind.  They  were  armed  with  English  fusees,  and  heavy 
iron  cutlasses  of  native  manufacture.  Their  war-dress 
consisted  of  leopard-skins. 

The  Bonsie  country  is  densely  populated.  The 
difference  between  the  Domar  and  Wymar  Boozie 
is,  that  the  latter  marks  his  face  from  his  temple  to 
his  chin  with  an  indelible  blue  stain,  while  the  former 
does  not  practice  tattooing  of  any  kind.  This  tribe 
extends  from  the  south-west  portion  of  the  Pessy 
country  to  the  western  border  of  the  Mandingo 
country. 

Dowilnyah  now  proposed  to   forward  me  on   to 
Musardu  under   his  protection — and  a  more  power- 
ful protection  could  not  bo  obtaiocd.     Ilis  own  nephew 
4* 


82  A  JOUEXEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

was  to  accompany'me.  We  left  Ziggah  Porrah  Zae 
JSTovember  30th,  1868,  taking  a  direction  E.KE.  The 
country  was  open  and  covered  with  tall  grass,  cane- 
brake,  and  wild  rice.  In  an  hour's  walk  we  came  to 
the  town  where  the  king  formerly  resided,  Grubbewal- 
lah,  meaning  Sassa-wood  tree,  referring  to  a  large  old 
tree  that  grew  in  the  middle  of  the  town. 

We  passed  on,  and  halted  at  Pellezarrah — meaning 
several  paths,  because  several  paths  crossed  each  other 
near  the  town. 

Several  large  cotton-trees  grew  at  the  junction  of 
these  roads.  The  features  of  the  country  are  hilly,  but 
the  slopes  are  longer  and  more  gentle.  One  large  hill 
had  a  gradual  slope  of  nearly  two  miles,  while  its  oppo- 
site side  came  down  in  a  perpendicular  line.  Trees  now 
indeed  began  to  be  scarce,  the  country  being  covered  with 
cane-brake,  wild  rice,  and  very  tall  palm-trees.  Some 
trees  of  that  short,  stunted  species  which  grow  on  our 
beach  at  the  Cape,  were  seen  sparsely  scattered  here  and 
there.  We  traveled  over  a  hard  soil  of  red  clay,  pebbles, 
and  iron  ore.  The  tall  grass  and  treeless  slopes,  plains, 
and  hills  led  my  Congoes  to  declare  that  I  had  missed  the 
route,  and  walked  into  the  Congo  country ;  and  they 
commenced  to  thank  me  for  returning  them  into  their 
country  Mesumbe.  We  halted  at  Pezarrah  at  six 
o'clock  F.Vy.^  This  town  had  suffered  from  fire  in  one 
part,  and  wtis  being  rebuilt.  The  whole  direction  tra- 
veled was  E.KE.  Tuesday,  1st  December,  1868,  we 
started  from  Pellazarrah.  After  a  walk  of  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  the  road  led  through  a  district  which 
was  a  solid  mass  of  iron  ore.  A  short  reddish  grass 
struggled  for  existence  on  this  extensive  plain  of  metal. 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  83 

The  iron  was  so  pure  that  the  road  leading  through  it 
was  a  polished  metal  pathway,  smoothed  over  by  the 
constant  treading  of  travelers.  It  is  said  to  be  hardly 
treadable  in  the  dries,  it  becomes  so  thoroughly  heated. 

We  occupied  three  and  a  half  hours  in  passing  over 
these  hills  and  plains  of  metal.  We  afterward  came 
to  high  grass,  through  which  some  elephants  had  just 
passed.  The  palm-trees  entirely  cease.  We  halted  at 
Ballatah  at  three  o'clock  p.m. 

Wednesday,  2d  December,  1868,  at  Ballatah.  This 
is  one  of  the  most  pleasantly  situated  of  all  the  Boozie 
towns  we  had  visited.  The  people  insisted  on  our 
spending  a  day  with  them,  that  they  might  have  some 
time  to  look  at  us.  They  killed  a  sheep,  and  furnished 
rice  and  other  things  in  abundance.  They  then  tried 
to  prevail  on  me  to  undertake  an  elephant-hunt  with 
them.  Elephants  are  plentiful  and  large  in  this  portion 
of  the  country,  and  every  night  they  could  be  heard 
making  a  noise,  while  regaling  themselves  on  the  ten- 
der cotton-plants  growing  in  the  farms  of  the  Ballatah 
people. 

Artemus  Ward  declares  that  "  Every  man  has  his 
fort."  It  is  not  mine  to  hunt  elephants — especially  to 
hunt  elephants  going  in  herds  of  ten  or  twelve,  and 
that  in  an  open  country  like  Ballatah.  I  therefore  de- 
clined the  invitation  to  go  on  an  elephan-Vunt,  telling 
my  friends  that  I  would  postpone  the  pleasure  to  be 
dei-ived  from  such  amusements  until  I  returned  from 
Musardu. 

Ballatah  is  in  latitude  8°  17'  51\  Its  approximate 
elevation  is  about  two  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea ;  barometer  standing  27.172.     It  is  not  so  large 


84  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

as  the  other  Boozie  towns,  but  far  better  laid  out. 
The  houses  are  not  crammed  so  closely  together.  It 
contains  about  twenty-five  hundred  people ;  it  is  seat- 
ed in  a  plain,  and  is  commanded  by  very  high  and 
abrupt  hills  on  its  western  side,  while  the  land  rolls  off 
in  gentle  undulations  toward  the  east.  We  were  car- 
ried to  some  outlying  villages  north-west  of  Ballatah, 
situated  at  the  foot  of  the  same  high  hills  that  overlook 
that  town.  Here  they  were  busy  smelting  iron.  The 
furnaces  were  built  of  clay,  and  of  a  conical  shape,  from 
^ve  and  a  half  to  six  feet  high,  having  clay  pipes  or 
vents  close  to  the  bottom,  arranged  in  groups  of  two 
and  three,  for  the  purpose  of  draught.  The  charcoal  and 
iron  ore  are  put  in  at  the  top.  At  the  bottom  is  an 
opening  through  which  tbe  slag  and  other  impurities 
are  withdrawn. 

Thursday,  December  3d,  1868,  we  started  from 
Ballatah.  The  direction  was  N.E.,  and  parallel  to  a 
range  of  very  high  hills,  called  the  Yukkah  hills. 
These  hills  are  from  seven  hundred  to  one  thousand 
feet  high,  and  are  variously  composed  of  granite,  iron 
ore,  and  a  reddish  clay  which,  from  the  steep  slopes 
near  the  top,  had  shelved  down  in  many  places.  The 
whole  country,  hill  and  plain,  was  covered  with  long 
grass  and  canebrake,  interspersed  with  a  short,  dwarfish 
tree.  The  bark  of  this  tree  is  rough  and  corru- 
gated, the  trunk  is  a  foot  in  circumference,  eight  or  ten 
feet  high ;  and  has  an  excessive  branching  top.  The 
leaves  small,  and  of  an  oval  shape.  Clumps  of 
large  trees  occupied  the  sides  and  knolls  of  the  hills. 

These  bills  are  of  all  sizes,  and  run  in  every  direc- 
tion.    Toward  the  N.  and  IST.E.,  a  line  of  hills  towers 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDUJ  85 

above  the  rest,  the  ridge  of  which  makes  a  variety  of 
outline  against  the  sky.  These  hills  are  not  so  rug- 
gedly disposed  as  those  in  the  Domar  country.  The 
slopes  are  gentler ;  only  near  the  summit  they  some- 
times change  feature,  taper  off  to  a  point,  or  go  right  up 
perpendicularly.  To  these  hills  and  fastnesses  the  na- 
tives resort  in  time  of  war,  carrying  all  their  effects, 
their  wives  and  children,  to  the  most  inaccessible  parts. 
Judging  from  a  hill  which  was  shown  me  as  being 
used  for  that  purpose,  some  of  them  must  be  very  safe 
retreats. 

Agriculture  in  this  country  must  be  a  very  simple 
and  easy  process.  N"o  "cutting  farm,"  as  we  call  it,  by 
felling  trees  and  cutting  undergowth.  The  soil,  though 
covered  with  tall  grass  and  canebrake,  is  one  of  the 
highest  fertility.*^  When  the  sun  has  sufficiently  parched 
the  tall  grass,  it  is  sometimes  burnt  off,  sometimes  cut 
down  and  hoed  in  for  manure.  Farms  of  hundreds  of 
acres  can  be  prepared  in  a  very  short  time ;  and  the 
natives,  with  their  small  hoes,  can  wellafford  to  have 
the  large  plantations  of  rice,  cotton,  and  millet,  which 
we  saw. 

Friday,  4th  of  December,  1868,  we  rested  at  Vukkah. 
This  town  stands  at  the  foot  of  a  range  of  high  hills 
of  the  same  name.  It  is  the  last  Boozie  town,  and  the 
nearest  to  the  Mandingo  country.  These  hills,  called 
"  Vukkah"  by  the  Boozies,  and  "  Fomah"  by  the  Man- 
dingoes,  take  a  definite  direction  N.E.  They  are  the 
highest  range,  and  form  a  marked  and  acknowledged 
boundary  between  the  Boozie  and  Mandingo  territo- 
ries. At  the  foot  of  this  range  are  seated  a  number  of 
towns,  Boozie  and  Mandingo. 


86  A  JOUENEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

The  town  of  Vukkah  was  overgrown  with  wild  cane 
and  piantain-trees.  The  houses  were  dilapidated,  pre- 
senting a  disagreeable  contrast  to  the  usual  neatness  of 
the  Boozie  towns.  The  inhabitants  are  the  most  ill- 
favored  of  all  the  Boozies.  This  town  is  also  notorious 
for  the  mischief  and  trouble  it  gives  thorough farers  ; 
and  but  for  our  coming  under  the  protection  of  Dowil- 
nyah,  it  soon  fell  out  what  would  have  happened.  We 
had  not  been  in  the  town  an  hour  before  we  had  a 
row  with  one  of  the  principal  men  of  the  place.  He 
requested  me  to  fire  my  musket,  which  I  did  a  number 
of  times,  sufficient,  as  I  thought,  to  please  every  body  ; 
but  he  insisted  on  several  more  rounds.  I  refused ;  he 
then  told  me  to  go  on  to  Musardu,  but  when  I  returned 
I  would  find  that  my  way  home  would  not  lie  through 
that  town.  I  was,  however,  under  too  powerful  a  pro- 
tection to  be  disturbed.  Dowilnyah  was  not  to  be  trifled 
with.  To  take  a  head  from  a  shoulder  was  mere  pas- 
time with  him. 

Much  allowance,  however,  must  be  made  for  these 
African  rulers.  Tyrannical  and  bloodthirsty  they 
sometimes  appear  ;  but  this  character  is  artificial,  and 
practiced  in  many  instances  to  inspire  terror  and  re- 
spect, without  which  they  could  not  hold  their  authority 
a  single  hour. 

Beset  by  rivalships  and  conspiracies,  they  are  forced, 
from  the  boisterous  circumstances  of  their  situation,  to 
employ  every  means  conservative  of  their  authority 
and  their  lives. 

Saturday,  5tli  of  December,  we  started  from  Yukkah. 
We  had  now  crossed  the  Yukkah.  hills,  and  were  fairly 
in  the  Mandingo  country.     Many  of  the  plains  of  this 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  87 

section  of  the  country  are  terraced,  one  above  another. 
Amends  is  made  for  a  simple  vegetation,  by  the  ever- 
varying  forms  of  relief  the  country  presents,  the  farther 
you  advance  into  it. 

At  three  o'clock  p.m.,  we  were  met  on  the  road  by 
several  Mandingoes,  who  accompanied  us  to  their  town, 
Ku-Somadu,  or  Mahommadu.  The  walls  of  this  town 
are  quadrilateral  in  shape,  each  side  being  a  series  of 
bastions,  which  at  a  distance  looks  like  some  old  forti- 
fied front.  The  walls,  however,  are  so  thin  that  a  four- 
pounder  could  demolish  them  in  a  very  little  time. 

We  entered  the  town,  and  were  entertained  in  a  very 
hospitable  manner.  A  house  was  given  to  us,  small 
indeed  in  its  dimensions  to  what  we  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  in  the  Boozie  country,  but  convenient  and  com- 
fortable. Being  wearied  with  the  journey,  I  threw  my- 
self into  a  hammock,  and  commenced  surveying  altera- 
tions and  arrangements  which  a  change  in  the  charac- 
ter of  the  country  had  introduced.  The  house  was  a 
circular  structure  of  clay,  with  a  conical  roof  made  en- 
tirely of  large  canebrake  and  long  grass.  In  looking 
around  the  walls,  our  eyes  rested  on  a  saddle,  stirrups, 
bridle,  with  leather  leggings,  and  a  tremendous  tower 
gun. 

Sunday,  the  Gth  of  December,  we  attempted  to  pur- 
sue our  journey ;  but  the  chief  refused  to  allow  us  to 
depart  before  he  had  demonstrated  his  good-will  and 
hospitality.  He  killed  a  heifer,  and  cooked  it  with  f^^^ 
onions.  We  satisfied  our  appetites,  and  made  him  an 
appropriate  present  "We  then  departed  ;  arrived  at 
Naalah  late  in  the  afternoon.  In  the  morning,  a 
trooper  was  at  once  dispatched  to  Musardu,  to  inform 


88  A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU. 

them  that  the  Tibbabue  (American)  had  come.  la 
two  hours  he  returned,  telling  me  that  the  Musardu 
people  requested  that  I  would  remain  at  Naalah  until 
they  had  made  preparations  for  my  reception.  I  im- 
mediately sent  them  word  that  I  had  been  so  long  com- 
ing to  see  their  country  that  I  would  rather  forego  any 
public  demonstration  than  be  delayed  any  farther.  I 
was  then  answered  to  come  on  ;  they  would  gladly  re- 
ceive me. 

Accompanied  by  several  Mandingoes  from  Naalah 
and  Mahommadu,  we  started  for  Musardu.  Our  inte- 
rest in  the  journey  was  enlivened  by  the  novel  features 
of  the  country.  In  passing  through  the  Boozie  coun- 
try, extensive  views  were  frequently  obstructed  by  a 
dense  vegetation  that  hemmed  in  the  sight  on  each  side 
of  a  narrow  foot-path.  Here  the  peculiar  features  of 
the  country  are  visible  for  miles.  The  towns  and  vil- 
lages seated  in  the  plains,  people  on  foot  and  people  on 
horseback  can  be  seen  at  a  great  distance,  and  have 
more  the  air  of  light,  life,  and  activity,  than  many 
parts  of  the  Boozie  country,  where  the  sombre  gloom 
of  immense  forests  conceals  all  such  things.  The  large 
town  of  Du  Quirlelah  lay  on  our  right,  in  the  bosom  of 
some  small  hills.  It  lay  on  our  right ;  but  from  our 
elevated  position,  it  might  well  be  said  to  lie  under  us. 
Going  on,  we  descried  a  long,  whitish  border,  raised  a 
little  above  the  height  of  a  gentle  slope.  On  drawing 
nearer,  it  proved  to  be  the  top  of  the  south-western 
wall  of  Musardu.  We  fired  our  muskets,  and  entered 
the  town.  We  were  led  up  a  street,  or  narrow  lane, 
that  brought  us  into  the  square  in  which  the  mosque 
was  situated.     Here  were  gathered  the  king,  Yomfee- 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  89 

dolLa,  and  the  principal  men  of  the  town,  to  receive 
us.  My  Mandingo  friends  from  Mahommadu  opened 
the  civilities  of  introduction  with  an  elaborate  speech ; 
stating  where  I  had  come  from,  and  for  what  I  had 
come ;  the  power,  learning,  and  wealth  of  the  Tibba- 
bues.  One  of  my  friends,  Barki,  from  Mahommadu, 
then  engaged  to  swear  for  me,  that  I  had  come  for 
no  ill  purpose  whatever,  but  that  I  was  moved  entirely 
by  an  intelligent  curiosity  and  friendly  intercourse. 
Dowilnyah's  messengers  then  spoke  in  flattering  terms 
of  my  demeanor  and  liberality  in  their  country,  and 
the  wishes  of  the  king,  in  consequence,  that  I  should  be 
treated  in  every  way  befitting  an  illustrious  stranger 
and  his  particular  guest.  I  had  never  before  been  so 
complimented,  and  I  became  uneasy  at  the  high  impor- 
tance attached  to  the  Tibbabue  visit,  fearing  that  great 
expectations  in  the  way  of  dashes  or  presents  might 
be  disappointed.  For  my  bundles,  bulky  and  preten- 
tious in  appearance,  contained  books,  instruments,  and 
clothes,  more  than  the  means  upon  w4iich  many  hopes 
were  then  founding  and  growing.  After  the  speeches 
were  over,  the  king  and  his  people  gave  me  repeated 
welcomes,  with  the  peculiar  privilege  of  doing  at  Mu- 
sardu  whatever  I  was  accustomed  to  do  at  Monrovia, 
a  large  liberty,  granted  only  to  distinguished  strangers. 
An  infinite  number  of  salaams  and  snapping  of  fingers 
then  followed.  I  was  soon  disposed  of,  with  luggage  and 
carriers,  in  the  king's  court-yard,  with  a  house  similar 
in  structure  and  accommodation  to  the  one  at  Maliom- 
madu.  We  bad  learned  the  art  of  domiciling  ourselves 
in  these  towns,  and  in  fifteen  minutes  every  thing  wore 
the  appearance  of  our  having  lived  there  for  years.    A 


90  A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU. 

number  of  Mandingo  girls  came  to  sing  and  dance  for 
us,  and  we  wasted  some  powder  bj  way  of  returning 
the  compliment. 

As  soon  as  night  came  on,  we  retired  to  rest ;  but  our 
slumbers  were  disturbed  bj  a  harper,  who,  in  a  tremu- 
lous minor  key,  improvised  that  since  Musardu  had 
been  founded  such  a  stranger  had  never  visited  it 
The  harp  itself  was  a  huge  gourd,  and  a  most  unmusi- 
cal "  shell"  it  proved  to  be.  It  had  three  strings,  the 
thrummings  of  which  disquieted  me  on  two  accounts. 
First,  the  noise,  intrinsically  disagreeable.  Secondly, 
the  expectations  which  that  noise  might  be  raising,  as 
the  bard  in  his  nocturne  declared  my  many  gracious 
qualities,  my  courage,  my  wealth,  and  my  liberality ; 
upon  the  last  two  he  dwelt  with  loud  and  repeated  effort. 

King  Yomfeedolla  in  appearance  has  a  mild,  gentle 
countenance.  His  features  would  please  those  who  are 
fond  of  a  straight  nose,  broad  forehead,  thin  lips,  large 
and  intelligent  eyes,  and  an  oval  chin.  Like  all  the 
Mandingoes,  his  skin  is  a  smooth,  glossy  black.  In 
stature  he  is  rather  below  the  general  towering  height 
of  this  tribe.  He  does  not  possess  the  fiery  energy  of, 
his  royal  Boozie  brother,  Dowilnyah,  who,  though 
many  years  his  senior,  far  excels  him  in  that  respect. 

In  all  councils  Yomfeedolla  seems  to  be  entirely  a 
listener,  and  to  be  directed  and  influenced  by  the  older 
members  of  the  royal  family.  He  is  said  to  be  a  great 
warrior ;  but  the  evidences  around  Musardu  prove  that 
if  he  is,  he  must  belong  to  the  unfortunate  class  of  that 
profession. 

The  usaal  apparel  or  dress  of  the  Mandingoes  con- 
sists of  four  pieces — two  pieces  as  a  shirt  and  vest,  an 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  91 

one  large  coat  or  toga  worn  over  all ;  one  pair  of 
Turkish-shaped  trowsers  coming  a  little  below  the 
knees  :  sandals  for  the  feet,  which  are  sometimes  beau- 
tifully worked ;  and  a  three-cornered  cap  for  the  head. 
These  articles,  made  and  worn  as  a  Mandingo  only  can 
make  and  wear  them,  leave  nothing  to  be  desired, 
either  as  to  taste  and  utility.  This  is  said  so  far  as  the 
men  are  concerned.  But  I  must  deplore  a  fashion  ob- 
served by  the  women,  in  wrapping  up  their  faces  and 
bodies  in  a  manner  truly  ungraceful,  and  unhealthy, 
too. 

Musardu  is  an  exceedingly  healthy  place ;  there  was 
not  one  prostrate,  sickly  person  in  the  town.  There 
is,  however,  a  disease  which  sometimes  attacks  indivi- 
duals in  a  peculiar  way  ;  it  is  an  affection  of  the  throat, 
causing  a  protuberance  almost  similar  to  what  is  called 
the  "kings  evil."  I  inquired  the  cause,  and  they 
imputed  it  to  something  that  impregnates  the  water 
during  the  height  of  the  dry  season,  being  the  time 
when  it  mostly  seizes  persons. 

The  atmosphei^  of  Musardu  is  very  dry,  and  had  a 
very  favorable  effect  upon  my  watches,  which  were 
declared  at  Monrovia  to  be  out  of  order;  but  as  soon  as 
I  reached  Musardu,  every  one  of  them  began  to  tick 
away  in  a  clear  and  ringing  manner. 

Musardu,  the  capital  of  the  Western  Mandingoes,  is 
in  latitude  8°  27'  11'  N.,  longitude  8°  24'  30"  W. ;  it 
is  elevated  two  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
and  is  situated  amid  gentle  hills  and  slopes.  North 
and  north-east  two  very  high  hills  tower  above  the  rest 
several  hundred  feet  The  population  is  between  seven 
and  eight  thousand,  but  the  many  villages  and  hamlets 


92  A  JOUENEY  TO  MUSARDU. 

increase  it  to  a  greater  proportion.  In  the  days  of  its 
prosperity,  and  before  it  had  suffered  from  the  damag- 
ing effects  of  war,  it  had  occupied  a  larger  space,  and 
was  not  surrounded  by  any  wall.  Though  it  has  lost 
its  former  importance,  Musardu  is  still  considered  as  the 
capital  of  the  "Western  Mandingoes,  and  its  name  is 
never  mentioned  but  in  terms  of  patriotism  and  respect. 
I  often  heard  the  old  men  of  the  town  regret  its  past 
power  and  wealth.  They  told  me  that  what  I  then 
saw  of  Musardu  was  only  the  ruins  of  a  former  pros- 
perity. The  town  is  laid  off  irregularly,  with  very 
narrow  and  sometimes  winding  lanes  or  streets.  These 
lanes  or  streets  cross  each  other  in  such  a  way  as  to 
give  access  to  any  part  of  the  town.  The  houses  are 
built  facing  the  lanes,  and  the  rear  space  is  used  as  a 
yard  for  horses  and  cattle.  In  the  south-western  part 
of  the  town  is  the  mosque.  The  walls  having  been 
injured  by  the  weather,  they  had  commenced  to  repair 
it.  It  is  a  quadrilateral  building,  surrounded  by  an 
oval -shaped  wall,  which  is  carried  up  eight  feet,  and 
upon  which  rest  the  rafters  of  a  large  [conical  thatch- 
roof.  The  interior  space  is  thirty-two  feet  long  and 
twenty -two  feet  wide,  and  nine  feet  high.  It  is  laid  off 
in  four  compartments,  by  three  intermediate  walls  run- 
ning the  length  of  the  building.  These  separate  spaces 
communicate  with  each  other  by  three  doors  or  open- 
ings in  each  intermediate  wall.  I  do  not  know  the 
purpose  of  the  divisions,  unless  it  is  to  grade  the  faith- 
ful. It  can  scarcely  accommodate  more  than  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty 'persons,  and  must  therefore  be  devoted 
to  the  most  pious,  or  the  leaders  or  teachers  of  Islam. 
On  Monday,  the  14th  of  December,  1868,  the  King 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  93 

Vomfeedolla  held  a  military  demonstration.  He  had 
summoned  his  infantry  and  cavalry  from  the  nearest 
towns  of  Billelah,  Yokkadu,  Naalah,  and  Mahommadu. 
The  exercises  commenced  about  two  o'clock  p.m.,  in 
the  large  square  of  the  town.  The  spectators  and  mu- 
sicians had  already  assembled.  All  at  once  a  trooper 
dashed  past  at  full  speed,  as  if  he  was  reconnoitring 
the  enemy.  Several  others  followed,  dispersing  in 
different  directions.  The  position  of  the  enemy  seem- 
ing to  be  determined,  they  soon  returned.  The  trum- 
pet then  sounded,  and  a  grand  cavalry  charge  took  place. 
Eiding  up  in  line,  with  musket  in  hand,  they  would 
deliver  their  fire,  and  canter  off  to  the  right  and  left, 
in  order  to  allow  the  rear  lines  to  do  the  same.  As 
soon  as  the  firing  was  over,  they  slung  their  muskets, 
and,  rising  in  the  saddle,  drew  their  long  knives  in  one 
hand  and  their  crooked  swords  in  the  other ;  the  horse, 
now  urged  to  a  headlong  gallop  by  the  voice,  carries 
his  rider,  standing  in  the  stirrups,  with  furious  velocity 
into  the  heat  of  the  battle.  Such  are  the  evolutions  of 
the  Mandingo  cavalry.  Their  equipment  is  quite  com- 
plete. They  use  saddles  and  bridles,  and  a  peculiar  and 
powerful  bit ;  short  stirrups  ;  leather  leggings,  to  which 
iron  spurs  are  attached.  The  cavalry  from  all  the 
towns,  according  to  various  reports,  ought  to  amount 
to  fifteen  hundred. 

In  their  open  country,  where  the  action  of  cavalry 
is  greatly  facilitated  by  the  long,  gentle  slopes,  and 
wide,  treeless  plains,  they  would  be  no  mean  enemy. 
They  often  dismount,  in  order  to  act  on  foot.  Each 
horse  has  a  boy  attendant  to  take  care  of  him  while 
his  master  is  thus  engaged.     In  real  action,  I  have 


94:  A  JOUKNEY  TO   MUSAEDU. 

been  informed,  the  little  boys  of  the  defeated  party 
often  suffer  the  penalty  of  their  participation.  Yet 
these  dangers  do  not  deter  the  little  fellows  from  going ; 
for  they  are  frequently  able  to  ride  off  the  field  as  soon 
as  any  symptoms  of  defeat  are  perceived. 

The  king  seems  to  act  for  the  most  part  with  the  in- 
fantry, for  he  rode  in  front  and  led  them  on.  They 
came  in  deep  array,  and  with  great  clamor,  but  with- 
out organization,  being  directed  solely  by  a  flag  or 
ensign  of  blue  cloth.  I  was  sorry  that  I  had  no  flag 
of  ours  to  present  them. 

After  their  exercises  were  over,  they  requested  us  to 
fire  our  muskets ;  upon  which  we  delivered  regular 
volleys  with  bayonets  fixed,  both  to  their  astonishment 
and  delight,  caused  by  the  quickness  with  which  we 
loaded  our  pieces,  our  certainty  of  fire — unlike  their 
fusees,  which  were  continually  snapping — and  the 
deeper  report  of  our  guns.  As  soon  as  all  the  exer- 
cises were  finished,  the  king  then  distributed  the  pre- 
sents I  had  given  him  to  the  chiefs  of  the  several  mili- 
tary divisions. 

Tuesday,  the  15th  of  December,  1868.  My  Man- 
dingo  friends  began  to  press  me  to  trade  with  them. 
I  informed  them  that  I  had  nothing  to  trade  with ; 
that  my  gifts  to  the  king  and  the  principal  men  of  the 
town  had  exhausted  my  means  so  closely  as  to  scarcely 
leave  me  sufficient  to  enable  me  to  return  home.  No- 
thing could  convince  them  that  I  had  not  pieces  of 
handkerchiefs  and  calicoes  concealed  in  my  bundles. 
They  tried  every  method  to  induce  me  to  trade;  they 
carried  me  to  their  houses  and  would  get  out  their 
small  leathern  bags  ;  these  bagsi^contained  from  ten  to 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  95 

fifteen  large  twisted  gold  rings,  ("sannue.'')  They 
then  offered  me  horses,  and  finally  concluded  by  offer- 
ing to  sell  me  some  pretty  female  slaves.  I  informed 
them  that  the  Tibbabues  did  not  keep  slaves ;  that  I 
had  not  come  to  trade,  but  merely  to  visit  their  coun- 
try ;  that  upon  my  return  home  I  would  persuade 
my  people  to  come  and  trade  with  them.  At  the  pros- 
pect of  a  number  of  Tibbabues  coming  to  their  coun- 
try to  trade,  they  were  exceedingly  satisfied. 

From  trade  we  passed  to  war  and  politics,  and 
having  satisfied  all  their  inquiries  in  these  two  parti- 
cular points  with  respect  to  the  Tibbabues,  they  made 
me  acquainted  with  some  of  their  wars  and  feuds. 
They  had  a  special  cause  of  grievance  against  a  certain 
Mandingo  chief  whose  name  was  Ibrahima,  or  Blamer 
Sissa,  and  who  lived  north-east,  and  three  days'  walk 
from  Musardu,  at  a  large  town  called  Madina. 

It  appears  that  Blamer  Sissa  came  from  Madina  to 
visit  his  uncle,  Amalah,  who  was  then  residing  at 
Musardu,  and  that  he  was  treated  with  great  civility 
and  distinction  by  the  Musardu  people ;  that  being  a 
powerful  young  prince,  they  solicited  his  aid  against 
some  Kaffres,  or  unbelievers,  living  over  the  eastern 
hills ;  that  in  compliance  with  their  solicitation  he 
went  back  to  Madina,  and  soon  returned  to  Musardu, 
bringing  with  him  his  cavalry  and  infantry,  a  nume- 
rous and  forn^able  mass,  who,  in  the  end,  came  nigh 
doing  their  friends  at  Musardu  as  much  evil  as  they 
had  done  the  Kaffres,  whom  they  had  mutually  agreed 
to  plunder. 

Blamer  Sissa  stripped  Musardu  of  every  thing  valu- 


96  A  JOURNEY-  TO  MUSARDU. 

able,  and  even  carried  off  nearly  all  the  pretty  young 
women  of  that  town. 

On  Thursday,  the  16th  of  December,  1868,  at  seven 
o'clock  P.M.,  Chancellor  came  running  to  my  house  to 
inform  me  that  several  suspicious  persons,  with  their 
horses  or  jackasses,  were  lurking  about  the  north-west- 
ern side  of  the  town ;  that  they  had  sought  admit- 
tance, but  it  had  been  refused  them  ;  that  they  had  re- 
ported themselves  traders,  but  the  town  people  were 
on  the  alert,  believing  them  to  be  Blamer  Sissa's  spies, 
who  were  only  skulking  around  in  order  to  gain  all 
the  intelligence  they  could,  and  carry  it  to  their  friends, 
who  were  supposed  to  be  in  strong  force  behind  the 
north-eastern  hills.  Next  morning,  Friday,  the  17th. 
of  December,  the  strange  people  were  indeed  seen  on 
a  hill  north-west  of  the  town,  and  cold  must  have 
been  the  sleep  they  had  of  it  the  previous  night,  for 
the  thermometer  stood  at  52°  at  four  a.m.  A  council 
was  held  to  decide  how  to  act.  Some  proposed  to  send 
the  young  men  out  to  kill  them.  Afterward  it  was 
more  wisely  determined  to  go  out  and  order  them  to 
take  their  traffic  and  depart  with  it  at  once. 

We  accordingly  went  out,  and  after  the  usual  saluta- 
tions, they  were  given  plainly  to  understand  that  neither 
they  nor  their  trade  could  enter  Musardu,  and  that  they 
must  depart  without  delay.  But  our  strange  merchants 
were  not  to  be  frightened  off  in  that  n^nner.  They 
insisted  that  they  had  come  for  no  evil  purpose  what- 
ever, but  simply  to  prosecute  their  trade.  The  con- 
ferences were  prolonged  until  midday.  While  the 
conversation  was  going  on,  I  had  an  opportunity  to 
survey  the  suspicious  group  of  new-comers.     It  con- 


A   JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  97 

sisted  of  two  sturdy  little  jackasses,  with  enormous 
packs,  containing  what  looked  like,  and  afterward 
proved  to  be  French  blue  baft,  and  five  men.  The 
one  who  acted  as  guide  and  interpreter  was  one  of 
Blamer  Sissa's  people,  and  he  alone  served  to  confirm 
our  suspicions.  The  other  four  were  tall,  black,  good- 
featured  people.  One  of  them  had  his  face  and  head 
bound  up  with  a  piece  of  white  cotton,  after  the  pecu- 
liar manner  of  some  of  the  Arabs  of  the  desert.  They 
were  all  Mohammedans.  I  learned  that  they  had  come 
from  the  Senegal,  had  been  to  Futtah,  passed  through 
Kanghkah,  and  had  obtained  this  guide  from  Madina, 
to  show  them  to  Musardu.  I  began  to  be  interested  ia 
them.  The  Musardu  people,  however,  remained  deaf 
to  every  argument,  and  the  Senegal  merchants  were 
compelled  to  pack  their  bundles  on  their  asses,  and  go. 
Nay,  the  town  people,  to  assure  themselves  of  their 
going,  followed  them  some  distance.  But  the  sight  of 
such  large  bundles  in  such  a  time  of  need  and  self-in- 
terest, had  sown  the  seeds  of  discord ;  and  there  was 
much  contention  now  among  the  Musardu  people  them- 
selves. Some  were  for  allowing  the  merchants  to 
enter  the  town.  Others  opposed  it,  alleging  that  such 
were  always  the  artifices  of  Blamer  Sissa  when  he 
wished  to  take  a  strong  town ;  that  he  always  sent 
some  of  his  people  ahead,  who,  under  pretext  of  wish- 
ing to  trade,  introduced  themselves  into  the  town  in 
order  to  open  the  gates  at  night  to  his  forces.  The 
contention  grew  so  warm  that  they  even  came  to 
blows. 

On  Saturday,  the  19th  of  December,   about  nine 
o'clock  A.U.,  pewsjjap^e  to  the  town  that  the  merchants 
5 


98  A  JOURNEY   TO   MUSARDU. 

had  returned.  We  went  out  and  found  it  really  so  ;  and 
when  the  order  was  repeated  to  them  to  go  away,  they 
absolutely  refused,  declaring  that  they  had  come  to 
trade ;  that  having  left  neither  mother  nor  wife  behind, 
the  Musardu  people  might  kill  them  if  they  wished  to 
do  so.  Their  firmness  overcame  the  first  determination 
of  the  Musardu  people,  who,  after  nearly  having  an- 
other quarrel  among  themselves,  gave  the  merchants 
leave  to  trade  outside  of  the  town — a  permission 
with  which  our  Senegal  friends  seemed  to  be  quite 
satisfied.  It  was  difficult  at  the  first  to  make  out  who 
our  merchants  were  'No  one  could  understand  their 
language  except  the  Mandingo  interpreter  from  Ma- 
dina,  and  it  was  this  man  who  caused  them  to  be  se- 
riously suspected,  for  he  was  one  of  Blamer  Sissa's 
soldiers.  These  poor  merchants,  therefore,  might  have 
been  subserving  Blamer  Sissa's  purposes,  without  the 
least  knowledge  of  it  themselves.  It  was  solely  their 
interpreter  that  marked  them  as  suspected  persons. 

On  Monday,  the  21st  of  December,  our  Musardu 
friends,  after  all  their  blustering  determination  against 
the  merchants,  admitted  them  into  the  town.  Interest 
and  avarice  overcame  all  their  patriotism  and  caution. 
The  two  jackass-loads  of  goods,  not  unlike  the  Trojan 
horse,  were  dragged  into  the  town,  and  if  Blamer  Sissa 
had  any  designs  on  Musardu,  they  were  accomplished. 

Both  in  policy  and  energy  Blamer  Sissa  seemed  su- 
perior to  the  Musardu  people ;  for  in  addition  to  the 
trouble  he  had  already  given  them,  and  even  the  re- 
cent threats  he  had  made,  he  knew  how  to  introduce 
his  own  people  in  the  town,  who  could  give  any 
intelligence  with  respect  to  Musardu  he  might  desire. 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  99 

He  is  not  the  first  prince  who  has  taken  a  city  by 
means  of  a  jackass-load  of  merchandise.  The  Musardu 
people  sent  a  thundering  message  of  defiance  and  in- 
sult to  Blamer  Sissa,  making  the  largest  use  of  me  to 
back  it  up.  They  sent  him  word  that  they  were  not 
at  all  dependent  on  him  for  trade  or  any  thing  else ; 
that  the  Tibbabues  were  about  to  open  trade  with 
them,  and  would  be  their  fi:iends  in  peace  and  war ; 
that  even  then  a  Tibbabue  was  negotiating  that  parti- 
cular business  in  Musardu.  They  then  took  pains  to 
exhibit  the  arms  and  means  with  which  the  destruction 
of  Madina  might  sooner  or  later  be  accomplished.  My 
muskets  with  their  bayonets,  my  revolvers,  and  my 
person,  were  severally  shown  as  designed  for  that  espe- 
cial object. 

I  was  purposely  questioned  aloud  as  to  the  military 
resources  of  the  Tibbabues :  the  little  guns  that  fired 
any  number  of  times  without  loading,  and  the  big  guns 
that  burnt  up  cities  at  the  distance  of  miles.  I  gave 
such  answers  as  I  hope  will  make  Blamer  Sissa  less 
troublesome  to  Musardu  for  the  future. 

It  might  be  thought  impolitic  that  I  did  not  refrain 
from  expressing  myself  as  being  in  either  party's  favor. 
In  this  part  of  Africa,  if  hostilities  are  lukewarm,  neu- 
trality is  possible;  but  where  it  burns  with  the  flame 
of  recent  and  bitter  injuries,  you  are  absorbed  by  cither 
one  side  or  the  other,  or  torn  in  pieces  by  both. 

The  Musardu  people  are  unfortunately  situated.  On 
the  north  they  expect  war  with  Blamer  Sissa,  and  on 
the  east  hostilities  have  never  ceased;  the  west  and 
south-west  are  still  open  to  them.  It  is  the  latter  direc- 
tion that  opens  itself  to  our  enterprise,  and  promises 


100  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

raucli  to  our  commercial  prosperitj.  The  chief  articles 
of  trade  are  gold,  bullocks,  hides,  horses,  and  country 
cloths  of  every  variety  of  dye  and  texture.  Gold  is 
worn  extravagantly  by  the  Man  dingo  ladies  of  Mu- 
sardu.  Their  earrings  are  so  large  and  weighty  as  to 
require  a  narrow  piece  of  leather  to  brace  them  up  to 
their  head-bands,  so  that  the  part  of  the  ring  in  the 
ear  may  not  make  an  unseemly  hole,  as  sometimes 
happens  when  this  necessary  support  is  neglected. 
Gold  is  certainly  abundant,  and  would  form  a  lucrative 
trade  between  Musardu  and  Liberia.  I  gave  twelve 
sheets  of  writing-paper  (kahtahsee)  and  four  yards  of 
calico  for  a  large  gold  twist  ring.  Had  I  came  pur- 
posely to  trade,  and  had  gone  through  the  usual  prac- 
tice of  "jewing  down,"  I  could  have  purchased  it  for 
less.  These  rings  are  perfectly  pure,  the  natives  never 
mixing  any  kind  of  alloy  in  the  manufacturing  of  them. 
Many  of  my  friends  wondered  at  my  maKing  presents 
of  watches,  music-boxes,  and  calicoes  when  the  articles 
might  have  been  exchanged  for  gold  or  slaves ;  but  as 
I  was  determined  that  the  money  should  be  religiously 
appropriated  to  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  sent  out, 
I  steadily  refused  every  proffer,  excepting  such  few 
things  as  I  could  conveniently  bring  back  as  samples 
of  the  production  and  industry  of  the  country. 

To  carry  on  trade  safely,  free  from  the  risks  and 
interruptions  incident  to  a  country  peopled  by  bar- 
barians and  semi-barbarians,  and  divided  into  so  many 
jarring  interests,  it  would  be  necessary  to  establish  four 
trading  forts — two  in  the  Boozie  and  Barline  countries, 
whicb  would  purchase  country  cloths,  raw  cotton,  cam- 
wood, rice,  palm-oil,  etc. ;  and  two  in  the  Mandingo  coun- 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  101 

try,where  gold,  bullocks,  country  cloths,  and  horses  could 
be  purchased  at  such  rates  as  would  amply  remunerate 
for  all  the  trouble,  expense,  and  consumption  of  time 
necessary  in  such  traffic.  The  individuals  living  in  the 
forts  would  be  abundantly  supplied  with  food,  as  rice 
is  produced  in  surplus  quantities  in  the  Boozie  and 
Barline  countries.  Even  the  expense  of  clothing  would 
be  trifling,  if  they  would  use  the  cloth  of  the  country. 
The  natives  declare  that  they  would  be  glad  to  have 
such  establishments  among  them.  These  forts  would 
also  second  and  strengthen  any  missionary  effort  that 
might  be  made  out  there ;  indeed,  the  two  establish- 
ments could  be  made  to  work  admirably  together. 
The  support,  protection,  and  moral  and  material  influ- 
ence which  would  be  exerted  in  the  respective  opera- 
tions of  each,  would  insure  permanence  and  success. 
We  would  do  well  to  commence  the  use  of  jackasses ; 
indeed,  it  would  be  indispensable  for  the  portage  or 
transportation  of  luggage.  The  Senegal  traders  at 
Musardu  carried  very  large  packs  of  blue  cotton  on 
their  two  sturdy  little  animals.  Horses  and  bullocks 
would  form  no  unimportant  part  of  the  trade.  Ma- 
hommadu  is  a  regular  beef-market. 

The  auriferous  or  gold  district  of  this  part  of  Man- 
ding  is  said  to  be  principally  at  Buley.  Upon  my  first 
inquiry,  I  was  told  that  Buley  was  a  week's  journey 
eastward;  but  upon  my  continuing  to  prosecute  my 
inquiries  respecting  that  country,  Buley  was  imme- 
diately removed  one  week's  walk  further,  making  it 
two  weeks'  walk,  and  through  hostile  and  dangerous 
districts,  the  people  of  which,  as  my  Musardu  friends 
informed  me,  would  exact  toll  from  me  for  passing 


102  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSAKDU. 

through  their  countr3^  Every  difficulty  was  conjured 
up  that  was  conceived  to  be  sufficient  to  extinguish  all 
interest  for  further  inquiry,  or  to  intimidate  my  going 
in  that  direction. 

However,  my  Mandingo  cousins  have  no  doubt  mis- 
represented the  whole  matter ;  for  gold  not  only  exists 
at  Buley,  but  right  there  in  their  own  country — other- 
wise I  do  not  think  it  could  be  so  plentiful  among 
themselves,  since  they  have  little  or  no  communication 
with  the  east. 

At  Buley,  it  is  found  mixed  iti  fine  grains  with  the 
superficial  deposit.  No  one  is  allowed  to  sweep  or 
pick  up  any  thing  in  another's  yard.  The  gold  is 
separated  by  fanning  and  washing ;  it  is  then  smelted 
and  twisted,  and  ready  for  sale  or  use.  They  show 
some  skill  and  taste  in  the  preparation  of  these  rings, 
and  they  are  really  worth  their  weight  in  gold.  Our 
friends  are  sometimes  equally  skillful  in  preparing  coun- 
terfeits, as  my  nitric  acid  had  several  occasions  to  prove. 
Impositions  of  this  kind  are  generally  punished  by  heavy 
fines. 

In  going  to  Buley,  you  pass  successively  Bendalah — 
where  a  very  fine  species  of  country  cloth  is  made,  of 
striped  figure,  and  usually  worn  by  the  women — Tan- 
galah,  Tutah,  and  Grehway.  Now,  if  these  towns  are 
situated  from  each  other  at  the  usual  distance  of  Afri- 
cans— namely,  a  day's  walk — Buley  is  but  four  days' 
walk  east  from  Musardu,  which  I  take  to  be  the  fact, 
despite  the  industry  of  my  friends  to  prove  to  the  con- 
trary. Unlike  Musardu,  it  is  a  wooded  country.  This 
fact  may  give  us  some  idea  of  the  extent  of  those  tree- 
less hills  and  plains  eastward.    They  are  said  to  extend 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  103 

further  north  than  in  any  other  direction,  where,  indeed, 
cow-dung  is  used  for  fuel.  The  population  of  Buley 
is]  Mandingo.  Gold  is  also  obtained  north  of  Blamer 
Sissa's  town,  at  Wasalah. 

My  friends  now  tried  again  to  provoke  me  to  trade, 
offering  the  same  articles  they  had  offered  before — gold, 
horses,  and  female  slaves.  Indeed,  this  is  all  the  Man- 
dingoes  of  Musardu  had  to  offer  by  way  of  trade.  Not 
a  bullock  or  a  country  cloth  was  to  be  seen,  though, 
these  things  are  notoriously  the  articles  of  merchandise 
belonging  to  Musardu.  Every  thing  liable  to  be  seized 
in  war,  from  its  being  too  bulky  to  be  quickly  removed 
or  concealed,  sad  experience  has  taught  them  to  keep 
out  of  reach,  in  some  jfriendly  Boozie  town  in  the  rear 
of  the  Yukkah  hills ;  while  nothing  but  the  war-horse, 
and  articles  easy  to  be  hid  or  carried  off,  are  kept  at 
Musardu.  At  every  house  can  be  seen  muskets,  cut- 
lasses, powder-horns,  war-belts,  and  war-coats,  a  power- 
ful large  bow,  and  four  or  five  large  quivers  filled  with 
poisoned  arrows.  I  have  seen  them  prepare  the  poi- 
son with  which  the  points  of  the  arrows  are  smeared 
over.  It  is  a  vegetable  poison,  consisting  of  one  bul- 
bous root  twice  as  large  as  an  onion,  and  two  different 
kinds  of  small  vines.  It  is  boiled  in  a  pot  to  a  thick 
or  gummy  consistence,  the  color  of  which  is  black.  It 
is  said  to  be  so  fatal  that  if  it  wounds  so  much  as  the 
tip  end  of  the  fingers,  it  is  certain  death.  The  preparers 
of  this  fearful  means  of  savage  warfare  but  too  clearly 
explained  to  me  its  effects  before  death  completely  en- 
sues: the  bleeding  at  the  nose  and  ears;  its  nauseous 
attack  on  the  stomach,  and  consequent  spitting;  the 
final  despair  of  the  individual  in  lying  down,  with  his 


104  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

eyes  set  in  a  vacant  death-stare — all  of  which  was  imi- 
tated with  a  terrible  fidelity  to  the  truth,  and  as  one 
of  the  most  horrible  means  of  barbarous  warfare. 

This  part  of  Mandingo  is  the  country  of  the  horse. 
There  are  two  sizes  :  the  large  horse,  used  for  show  and 
parade,  and  the  small  horse,  used  for  war.  The  latter 
is  a  hardy,  strong  little  animal,  capable,  in  his  country, 
of  bearing  great  fatigue.  In  battle,  I  am  informed,  be 
kicks  and  bites  in  a  furious  manner,  and  that  when  his 
master  makes  a  capture  of  a  fine  young  lady,  he  will- 
ingly receives  the  additional  burden,  and  gallops  off 
faster  than  ever.  These  horses  are  certainly  well  treated 
and  cared  for ;  and  if  Musardu  is  not  characteristic  for 
cleanliness,  it  is  because  the  horse  and  his  master  equally 
occupy  and  almost  equally  litter  up  that  capital. 

I  tried  my  best  to  obtain  some  data  by  which  an  ap- 
proximate notion  might  be  formed  of  the  age  of  the 
city ;  but  in  matters  of  chronology  our  friends  have 
been  sadly  careless.  None  of  them  could  give  the  least 
intelligent  hint.  They  said  that  the  grandfather  of  the 
oldest  man  in  the  town  declared  that  the  town  was 
there  when  he  was  born,  and  that  all  the  other  towns 
sprang  from  this  one.  Its  antiquity  is  an  undoubted 
matter  among  themselves.  I  was  shown  their  large 
market-place  outside  of  the  town,  a  few  hundred  yards 
from  the  south-western  gate.  From  the  space  it  occu- 
pied, it  would  easily  have  contained  eight  or  ten  thou- 
sand people.  The  respective  places  where  each  com- 
modity was  exhibited  for  sale  was  pointed  out :  country 
cloths,  cattle,  gold,  (dust  and  manufactured,)  slaves,, 
grain,  salt,  of  which  there  were  two  kinds — the  slab  or 
rock-salt,  which  came  on  camels  from  the  north-east, 


A  JOURNEY  TO  MUSARDU.  105 

and  our  fine  salt,  gotten  from  the  coast ;  ostrich  feathers ; 
leather,  in  the  beautiful  and  soft  tanning  of  which  the 
Mandingoes  are  particularly  expert ;  ivory,  cotton,  to- 
bacco, and  an  infinite  variety  of  domestic  articles  were 
all  named,  and  the  different  places  where  they  were 
sold  designated. 

But  war  has  abolished  every  sign  of  this  commercial 
activity  and  life,  and  has  introduced  in  its  stead  a  barren 
space  filled  with  weeds,  grass,  and  the  broken  skulls 
and  skeletons  of  enemies — a  desperate  battle  having 
been  fought  there  between  the  Musardu  people,  aided 
by  Blamer  Sissa,  and  the  eastern  Mandingoes. 

The  soil  of  the  hills  of  Musardu  is  composed  of  red- 
dish clay  and  sand,  with  boulders  of  iron  ore  intermixed. 
On  the  north-eastern  side  of  the  town  are  some  large 
masses  of  black  and  gray  granite.  The  plains  are  a 
whitish  clay,  and  the  very  soil  for  a  plow,  being  free 
from  almost  every  obstruction.  The  light  tillage  of 
the  natives  never  goes  more  than  four  or  five  inches, 
with  their  little  short-handled  hoes. 

About  February  or  March,  and  sometimes  sooner, 
the  high  grass  and  wild  cane  are  cut  down,  to  rot  and 
manure  the  soil.  Near  the  planting  season,  these  vege- 
table fertilizers  are  turned  in  with  the  hoe ;  and  from 
the  crops  of  rice,  of  which  there  are  three  kinds,  pota- 
toes, groundnuts,  onions,  peas  and  beans,  large  gourds, 
corn,  pumpkins,  etc.,  it  must  answer  abundantly  the 
purposes  of  agriculture.  Tobacco  is  grown  in  plots, 
wherever  a  stream  of  water  offers  itself  for  frequent 
irrigation.  The  rubbish  and  ashes  of  the  town  form 
excellent  beds  for  this  plant.  They  are  generally  laid 
out  with  great  care,  and  watered  three  times  a  day. 
5* 


106  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

The  Mandingoes  are  the  great  tobacco-raisers  and  snuff- 
makers  of  the  country.  They  supply  both  themselves 
and  the  Boozies. 

Musardu  is  singularly  free  from  grasshoppers,  rats, 
and  mice,  owing  to  the  number  of  hawks  that  crowd 
the  limbs  of  a  solitary  tree  that  may  be  standing  here 
and  there.  Want  of  trees  compels  them  to  perch  them- 
selves on  rocks,  and  when  these  are  all  occupied,  they 
may  be  seen  to  cover  the  ground  in  dark  patches. 
There  are  also  large  birds  that  particularly  belong  to 
the  grassy  plains  of  Musardu.  They  go  in  flocks  of 
eight  or  twelve.  In  size,  they  are  as  large  as  American 
geese,  and,  on  account  of  their  weight,  do  not  fly  very 
high,  nor  do  they  make  long  passages  at  a  time.  When 
they  alight  on  the  ground,  they  are  enabled,  by  the 
length  of  their  necks,  to  discover  you  before  you  can  get 
within  gunshot  of  them.  Their  hearing,  however,  is  not 
very  acute ;  for  we  have  often  crept  up  the  brow  of  the 
hill,  and  come  upon  them  suddenly.  They  are  a  very 
sagacious  and  shy  bird ;  and  though  I  and  my  Congoes 
tried  our  marksmanship  many  times,  we  were  entirely 
unable  to  procure  one  of  them.  The  Mandingoes  are 
scarcely  ever  able  to  kill  them.  Their  color  is  white, 
with  a  black  band  across  their  back  and  wings;  and 
when  flying,  their  leader  never  ceases  to  make  a  cawing 
noise.  They  are  very  gawky  in  their  movements  when 
walking  on  the  ground,  caused  by  their  long  necks, 
giving  their  heads  a  deliberative  nod  with  every  step 
they  take. 

The  Mandingoes  are  very  attentive  to  their  farming 
interests.  They  are,  however,  more  given  to  trade 
than  to  manual  labor.     The  leading  vice  of  a  Mandingo 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  107 

is  avarice,  which,  by  however  much  it  is  stimulated,  the 
present  state  of  the  country  affords  him  but  little  means 
to  gratify.  Nothing  can  be  accumulated  among  them- 
selves that  war  does  not  instantly  dissipate.  JSTever- 
theless,  they  arc  quick  and  intelligent,  easy  to  be 
managed  by  persuasion,  and  they  offer  to  Liberia  a 
more  speedy  prospect  of  assimilation  and  union  than 
any  other  tribe  with  which  I  am  acquainted.  A  strong 
moral  advantage  is  already  gained,  from  their  being  a 
reading  and  writing  people,  practicing  a  communication 
of  ideas  and  an  interchange  of  thought  by  means  of  the 
Arabic.  They  have  a  natural  reverence  for  learning 
and  mental  superiority,  and  they  never  fail  to  respect 
it,  whether  it  accords  with  their  belief  or  not.  No 
rudeness,  no  indecent  and  wrangling  intolerance,  was 
ever  shown  me  during  my  stay  among  them.  No  differ- 
ence of  religion  ever  made  them  diminish  the  respect, 
attention,  and  hospitality  which  they  conceived  were 
due  me.  One  of  my  Congo  carriers  is  of  the  Baptist 
persuasion,  and  he  used  to  make  himself  heard  every 
morning,  even  to  my  own  annoyance,  by  loud  orisons. 
Still,  our  Mohammedan  Mandingoes  said  nothing.  It 
was  respected  as  a  prayer,  and  it  was  known  to  be  a 
Christian  prayer. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  I  visited  Billelah  Kaifal, 
Kandah's  native  town.  In  size  it  is  nearly  as  large  as 
Musardu.  The  houses  are  in  a  better  condition ;  but 
in  all  other  respects  it  resembles  the  parent  city — the 
narrow  lanes,  horse  stables,  gardens,  etc.  The  town 
seemed  densely  populated,  at  least  with  children. 

The  next  day  we  started  from  Billelah  for  our  homo, 
Musardu,  visiting  on  our  way  another  town,  Yockkadu. 


108  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

This  town  is  about  a  quarter  of  tlie  size  of  Musardu, 
and  similar  in  its  arrangements,  customs,  and  habits. 
The  chief  of  this  town,  Yawfulla,  proved  to  be  very 
hospitable. 

On  Sunday,  the  21st  of  December,  my  Boozie  atten- 
dants grew  impatient  to  return  home,  and  even  prepared 
to  leave  me.  I  gave  them  full  liberty  to  go  if  they 
wished,  since  I  did  not  intend  to  make  the  least  move 
until  I  had  finished  my  business.  The  sky  had  been  so 
hazy  as  to  prevent  my  taking  any  observations.  The 
fine  dust  of  the  Harmattans,  together  with  the  vast 
volumes  of  smoke  and  cinders  from  the  grassy  hills  and 
plains  that  were  burning,  rendered  it  a  difficult  matter 
to  take  observations.  This  was  the  cause  of  my  delay- 
ing to  return,  and  the  consequent  dissatisfaction  of  my 
Boozies,  a  people  who  are  not  willing  to  be  kept  from 
their  homes  any  length  of  time.  Cliancellor,  however, 
was  enabled  to  appease  their  impatience  by  three  yards 
of  calico. 

Having  now  exhausted  the  time,  as  well  as  almost 
all  the  means  which  had  been  assigned  to  carry  out 
this  expedition,  I  began  to  think  of  returning  home ; 
yet  I  must  confess  there  was  nothing  more  contrary  to 
my  wishes.  Had  it  not  been  that  family  responsibilities 
demanded  my  return  home,  I  should  have  still,  with 
or  without  means,  prosecuted  my  journey  eastward — 
a  direction  which  I  have  always  had  the  presentiment 
contains  the  prosperity  and  welfare  of  Liberia. 

On  Friday,  the  25th  of  December,  at  eight  A.M.,  we 
bade  farewell  to  Musardu,  and  arrived  at  Mahommadu  at 
six  P.M.    Here  we  passed  several  days,  in  order  to  take 


A  JOURNEY  'JO   MUSARDU.  109 

observations  and  to  see  the  market.     This  market  is 
held  every  Wednesday,  outside  of  the  eastern  wall. 

On  Wednesday,  the  30tb,  this  market  took  place.  It 
contained  three  hundred  head  of  cattle,  which  were 
offered  at  three  or  four  dollars  a  head  in  our  money. 
The  usual  articles  of  rice,  onions,  palm-oil,  cotton,  coun- 
try cloths,  tobacco,  and  iron  were  present.  There  were 
a  number  of  slaves  for  sale,  especially  children.  A 
pretty  little  Mandingo  girl,  about  nine  years  of  age, 
was  sent  to  my  house  with  one  of  my  boys,  in  order 
that  I  might  purchase  her.  She  cost  9000  kolu,  or 
about  $15  in  our  money.  I  was  curious  to  know  how 
she  became  a  slave,  as  Mandingoes  are  seldom  ever 
enslaved.  I  declined  to  buy  her,  on  the  ground  that 
Tibbabues  never  held  slaves.  The  child  herself  seemed 
to  be  disappointed  ;  for  she  showed  that  she  preferred 
falling  into  my  hands  in  preference  to  her  own  people. 
The  Mandingoes  are  harsher  with  their  slaves  than  the 
Boozies.  Among  the  Boozies  it  is  difficult  to  distin- 
guish the  slaves  by  any  mark  of  dress  or  usage ;  but 
the  Mandingoes,  though  not  excessively  cruel,  have 
drawn  the  lines  of  difference  in  so  strong  a  manner 
that  you  can  not  fail  to  perceive  them. 

A  great  many  cattle  remained  unsold.  The  season 
of  the  dries  is  very  severe  on  them,  and  they  some- 
times die  from  overdriving.  Several  died  the  next 
day  after  the  market  was  over.  They  are  the  large, 
reddish,  long-horned  cattle,  which  we  usually  buy 
from  the  interior.  The  highlands,  from  which  they 
come,  explains  why  they  do  not  thrive  so  well  as  the 
black,  short-homed,  and  sturdy  cattle  of  the  coast, 
known  among  us  as  the  "  leeward  cattle." 


110  A  JOURNEY   TO   MUSARDU. 

It  was  at  this  town  that  I  first  experienced  the  hos- 
pitality of  these  people  in  their  own  country.  Our 
Mandingoes  are  Mohammedans ;  but  they  have  an  in- 
vincible partiality  for  Tibbabues,  who  are  known  to 
be  Christians,  and  the  people  of  the  book.  It  is  also 
well  known  that  there  is  some  difference  in  the  creeds 
or  beliefs  ;  yet  the  nnbelieving  Tibbabue  is  sure  to  be 
housed,  fed,  and  befriended  in  a  manner  that  is  not 
always  practiced  among  the  faithful  themselves. 

While  they  were  repairing  the  wall  of  Mahommadu, 
I  was  requested  to  carry  some  of  the  mortar  and  place 
it  in  the  wall,  that  it  might  be  said  that  "  a  Tibbabue 
helped  to  build  these  walls."  I  contributed  all  I  could 
to  make  them  impregnable. 

During  our  stay  there,  we  were  also  taken  to  their 
foundry,  where  they  were  busily  engaged  in  preparing 
iron  for  the  market.  The  pieces  of  pure  iron  taken 
from  the  furnaces  are  again  heated ;  they  are  then  re- 
duced to  a  long  triangular  shape  by  pounding  them 
with  large,  heavy  stones — a  process  simple  and  laborious 
enough,  and  a  work  which  is  entirely  left  for  the  slaves. 

Blacksmithing,  such  as  the  making  of  stirrups,  bits, 
spurs,  etc.,  is  done  by  the  Mandingoes  themselves,  as 
being  a  mechanical  art  too  noble  to  be  performed  by 
slaves. 

On  Thursday,  the  31st  of  December,  we  left  Mahom- 
madu, and  reached  Vukkah  at  half-past  four  o'clock 
P.M.  We  were  now  among  the  Boozies  again.  The 
Vukkah  hills  run  N.  E.  and  S.W.  The  towns  of  Ma- 
hommadu and  Yukkah  stand  at  the  very  foot  of  the 
south-eastern  slope.  I  am  informed  that  many  other 
Mandingo  and  Boozie  towns  are  situated  on  the  same 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  Ill 

side  of  this  range.  At  Mahommadu,  the  plain,  in  a 
south-east  direction,  is  only  interrupted  by  swells  and 
rolling  hills,  rising  and  running  in  every  direction,  and 
marked  by  no  particular  feature,  except  the  reddish 
color  of  the  soil,  and  their  summits  ridged  with  the 
dwarfish  prairie  tree  before  mentioned.  The  plains  are 
white  clay,  mixed  with  beds  of  iron  ore.  At  Mahom- 
madu, the  south-east  slope  strikes  the  plain  at  a  great 
angle ;  but  at  Yukkah,  it  rests  upon  a  series  of  small 
table-lands  that  extend  out  a  half  mile  before  they 
finally  come  down  into  the  plains.  The  vast  spaces  of 
grass  and  reddish  soil  are  relieved  by  patches  of  dense 
vegetation,  marking  the  gullies  and  ravines.  Heavy 
blocks  of  granite  are  set  in  the  sides  of  the  Vukkah 
hills,  awaiting  only  to  be  loosened  by  the  rains  to  roll 
from  their  places  to  the  bottom.  At  night,  the  whole 
country  ^ems  on  fire,  from  the  burning  of  the  grass. 

On  January  1st,  1869,  we  left  Vukkah,  and  reached 
Ballatah  at  two  P.M.  On  the  road,  we  passed  several 
streams  of  water,  flowing  over  granite  beds,  with  a 
temperature  of  58°  to  G0°,  Fahrenheit.  We  had  also 
passed  over  three  plains,  rising  one  above  another,  in 
which  lines  of  trees  traced  off  curious  plots  and  divi- 
sions, as  if  they  were  purposely  laid  out  for  farming. 
The  spaces  were  filled  in  with  green  grass  and  scatter- 
ing clumps  of  trees. 

January  2d.  From  Ballatah,  we  traveled  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Gazzahbue. 

January  3d,  1869.  From  Gazzahbue,  we  reached 
Gubbewallah,  Dowilnyah's  residence.  The  king  was 
still  tt  Ziggah  Porrah  Zue;  but  in  three  days  he  re- 
turned to  his  own  town.     Here,  though  anxious  to 


112  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

hasten  home,  I  was  obliged  to  spend  some  time  ;  since 
it  is  contrary  to  politeness  to  hurrj  away  from  the 
town  of  a  great  chief  without  having  resided  with  him 
two  or  three  weeks.  All  my  friends  who  had  arrived 
from  Ziggah  Porrah  Zue  were  delighted  to  see  me,  and 
they  began  to  grow  solicitous  about  my  returning  to 
their  country  again.  Promises  of  all  kinds  were  made 
if  I  would  return ;  promises  of  a  very  peculiar  kind 
were  made  by  the  king  if  I  would  only  return. 

The  ladies  of  Wymar  seemed  no  less  anxious  respect- 
ing me ;  and  they  frequently  asked  me  why,  since  I 
possessed  the  means  of  making  so  many  presents,  I 
did  not  have  a  number  of  women  to  sing  and  clap 
hands  and  proclaim  my  importance,  after  the  fashion 
of  their  great  men.  To  which  I  replied  that  such  was 
not  the  custom  of  ''  Weegees,"  or  Americans.  They 
were,  however,  unwilling  that  I  should  g(f  through 
their  country  "  unhonored  and  unsung ;"  they  therefore 
proposed  to  compliment  me  with  this  custom,  and 
merrily  fell  to  clapping  and  singing  ;  then  raising  their 
rigbt  hands  to  the  sky,  rent  the  air  with  their  acclama- 
tions of  praise  and  flattery. 

On  Monday,  the  25th  of  January,  we  took  leave  of  King 
Dowilnyah.  The  king  presented  us  with  several  large 
country  cloths,  and  a  very  large  and  heavy  ivory. 
He  had  also  sent  for  a  korse ;  but  we  declined  receiving 
the  presents,  as  we  had  no  one  to  carry  them.  He  would 
have  furnished  us  carriers,  had  it  not  been  that  they 
would  have  to  pass  through  the  Domars,  with  whom 
they  were  not  on  friendly  terms. 

About  four  o'clock  p.m.,  we  reached  Boe.  Here  we 
spent  a  day  to  rest.     On  Wednesday,  the  27th  Janu- 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  113 

ary,  at  four  o'clock  p.m.,  we  came  to  ISTubbewah's  town. 
King  Nubbewah  was  not  at  home  when  we  arrived ; 
but  late  in  the  afternoon  this  sick  and  feeble  old  man 
came  stalking  into  the  town,  followed  by  his  head  war- 
rior, and  a  number  of  young  men,  all  armed. 

In  the  evening  they  held  a  council,  and  Nubbewah 
himself  delivered  a  speech  with  a  violence  of  gesture 
and  voice  that  little  corresponded  with  the  languid, 
sickly  frame  from  which  it  came.  Mischief  was  brew- 
ing ;  but  where  or  on  whom  it  would  first  light,  no  one 
of  our  party  could  conjecture.  We  only  hoped  that  it 
would  keep  to  its  first  purposes,  and  not  fall  on  us. 

It  was  a  very  clear  moonlight.  About  twelve  o'clock, 
Chancellor,  who  was  generally  very  vigilant  whenever 
there  happened  to  be  an  unusual  stir  among  the  na- 
tives, detected  one  of  the  young  men,  with  his  cutlass 
gleaming  in  the  moonlight,  stealthily  lifting  up  our 
door-mat.  He  was  suddenlj^  questioned  as  to  what  he 
wanted,  which  threw  him  into  such  confusion  that  he 
was  only  able  to  stammer  out  something  about  fire,  and 
quickly  withdrew.  Several  persons  were  then  seen  pass- 
ing and  repassing  in  the  king's  court-yard.  We  imme- 
diately concluded  that  such  movements  boded  no  good 
to  us.  We  aroused  our  party,  and  prepared  for  a  gene- 
ral onslaught,  which  we  every  moment  expected ;  such 
being  the  usual  method  of  these  people's  attacks. 
Nubbewah's  town  contains  three  thousand  people, 
men,  women,  and  children.  The  houses  are  crowded 
together.  The  king's  own  department  is  shut  off  fronri 
the  rest  of  the  town  by  high  fences,  and  strongly 
guarded  with  a  number  of  large  Mandingo  dogs.  It 
is  every  way  so  situated  that  a  petty  wickedness  can  be 


114  A   JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

committed  covertly  and  conveniently  enough,  and  no- 
body be  the  wiser. 

All  the  houses  are  bamboo,  and  would  burn  like  tin- 
der. I  therefore  instructed  my  people  that,  should 
Nubbewah  attack  us,  we  must  immediately  set  fire  to 
the  house  we  were  in,  and  discharge  our  muskets  into 
those  who  came  at  us  first ;  that  amid  the  hubbub  of 
fire,  smoke,  and  fighting,  our  chances  for  escape  would 
be  as  good  as  any  one  else's ;  that  we  must  make  for 
the  gate  nearest  to  our  house,  and  march  all  night  for 
Bokkasah.  Our  knapsacks  were  strapped  on,  our 
muskets  in  hand,  and  the  torches  blazing  in  the  fire. 
There  was  more  passing  and  repassing  and  distinct 
whisperings.  Success  with  these  people  depends  upon 
surprise;  our  bustling  preparation  placed  a  surprise 
entirely  out  of  the  question.  In  fifteen  minutes  all 
was  quiet.  Every  one  instinctively  felt  that  the  dan- 
gerous moment  had  passed ;  yet  we  kept  on  our  guard. 

The  next  morning  we  went  to  the  king,  who  put  on 
a  most  intelligent  innocence.  We  made  him  a  small 
present  and  immediately  left  his  town.  We  arrived  at 
Bokkasah  at  four  o'clock  p.m. 

So  far  as  the  matter  of  carrying  arms  is  concerned,  it 
is  always  better  to  observe  the  usage  of  the  natives. 
Arms  always  form  a  part  of  the  dress  of  barbarians. 
The  more  formidable  you  can  make  yourself  appear, 
the  better  for  your  peace  and  safety  on  these  highways 
of  African  travel.  To  seem  harmless  does  not  always 
invoke  forbearance;  it  sometimes  suggests  plots  and 
attempts  on  life  and  property.  It  was  that  too  much 
reliance  on  the  simple-heartedness  and  good  feelings  of 
untutored  barbarians  that  got   Seymore's  right  hand 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  115 

nearly  slashed  off.  It  is  preferable  to  try  every  way 
to  induce  their  good-will,  and  at  the  same  time  to  ap- 
pear to  be  ready  to  resist  their  ill-will.  Every  person 
I  met  on  the  road  was  girded  with  a  heavy  iron  sword, 
a  quiver  thrown  over  the  shoulders  full  of  poisoned 
arrows,  and  a  powerful  bow.  Adopting  this  example, 
I  became  a  moving  arsenal.  I  walked  through  the 
whole  Boozie  country  with  my  bayonet  fixed  to  my 
musket,  my  revolvers  belted  so  as  to  be  seen  and 
feared  at  the  same  time,  my  sword  swinging  and  clang- 
ing at  my  side;  and  when,  to  prove  my pt^estige  in 
arms,  I  was  asked  to  fire  my  revolvers,  I  would  draw 
and  blaze  away,  several  barrels  going  off  almost  at  the 
same  time — a  serious  defect,  to  be  sure,  but  regarded  in  a 
very  different  light  by  my  friends.  The  bulging  full- 
ness of  my  country  coat  was  attributed  to  the  conceal- 
ment of  similar  arms,  ready  to  go  off  at  all  points. 
This  swaggering  style  was  not  without  effect ;  for  it  was 
said  that  I  had  money  to  give  my  friends  and  arms  to 
fight  my  enemies.  I  had  almost  forgotten  to  mention 
that  I  was  informed  by  Dowilnyah  that  five  principal 
chiefs  were  concerned  in  the  assault  on  Seymore;  that 
not  one  of  them  was  now  living;  that  their  death  was 
accounted  as  the  punishment  of  God  for  this  act  of 
wickedness. 

Seymore,  relaxing  all  caution  on  account  of  the  uni- 
form good  treatment  he  had  received  from  the  natives, 
thought  them  incapable  of  a  different  conduct.  He  was 
seriously  convinced  to  the  contrary.  When  villainy  of 
this  kind  Is  to  be  perpetrated,  the  greatest  secrecy 
among  those  who  are  privy  to  it  is  preserved.  It  is 
always  the  act  of  a  few ;  for  the  feelings  of  the  mass 


116  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

seem  to  be  averse  to  such  doings.  Seymore's  affair  was 
mentioned  in  terms  of  reprobation  by  all  who  convers- 
ed with  me  about  the  matter.  Comma's  own  son 
strenuously  denied  to  me  that  his  father  had  any  part 
in  the  matter ;  though  it  is  a  fact  notorious  through- 
out the  country  that  his  father  was  a  principal  actor, 
and  that  the  whole  plot  was  concocted  at  the  town  of 
Boe. 

From  Bokkasah  we  came  to  Fissahbue,  on  Monday, 
the  8th  of  February,  1869.  On  Tuesday,  the  9th,  we 
arrived  at  Zolu.  King  Momoru  had  not,  up  to  this  time, 
been  able  to  effect  a  reconciliation  between  the  parties. 
Every  day  they  made  reprisals  on  each  other.  "While  I 
was  there,  the  Boozies  succeeded  in  capturing  several  per- 
sons belonging  to  the  Barline  people.  The  wars  of  these 
people  are,  however,  not  attended  with  any  sanguinary 
results.  They  consist  mostly  in  surprising  a  few  in- 
dividuals where  they  can  be  suddenly  come  upon. 
Sometimes  the  roads  are  waylaid  wherever  their  re- 
spective traders  are  supposed  to  pass.  These,  toge- 
ther with  some  other  petty  annoyances,  constitute  their 
principal  mode  of  warfare.  The  large  walled  towns 
are  seldom  taken.  Pitched  battles  are  seldom  fought ; 
and  even  when  these  people  may  be  said  to  take  the 
open  field,  most  is  done  by  some  war  chief  by  way  of 
displaying  his  individual  prowess.  If  they  were  to 
indulge  too  much  in  war,  they  could  never  have  the 
numerous  and  large  markets  with  which  their  country 
is  everywhere  dotted. 

Tuesday,  the  16th  of  February,  1869,  we  started  from 
Zolu,  passed  through  the  Boozie  towns  of  Yahwuzue, 
Kaulitodah,  Wuzugahzeah.     On  the  road  we  met  Beah, 


A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU.  117 

our  Mandingo  guide,  with  some  Bokkasah  traders,  who 
informed  that  the  Americans  had  carried  war  against 
Manna.  We  halted  at  Powlazue.  Wednesday,  the 
17th  of  February,  we  passed  Zolaghee  and  its  large 
creek,  running  over  a  bed  of  red  feldspar  granite. 
Thousands  offish,  known  among  us  as  "bonies,"  were 
swimming  close  to  shore,  not  at  all  annoyed  by  the 
people  who  were  bathing  in  the  same  water. 

We  halted  at  MofFotah.  Thursday,  the  18th  of  Feb- 
ruary, we  passed  Malang,  Ballah,  and  Dahtazue,  and 
halted  at  a  small  village.  On  Friday,  the  19th  of  Febru- 
ary, we  reached  Barkomah.  Saturday,  the  20th,  leav- 
ing Barkomah,  we  passed  through  several  villages  and 
the  town  of  Nessahbeah.  We  halted  at  Sellayo,  at  six 
o'clock  P.M. 

Sunday,  the  21st,  starting  from  Sellayo,  we  passed 
Barpellum,  where  we  saw  a  man  who  had  been  wounded 
in  four  places  with  a  cutlass.  He  bad  been  beset  in 
the  road  by  some  unknown  persons  ;  showing,  after  all, 
the  danger  and  insecurity  of  the  roads,  as  well  as  the 
folly  of  traveling  unarmed.  At  four  p.m.,  we  reached 
Totoquella,  the  residence  of  King  Momoru,  where  we 
were  received  with  every  demonstration  of  joy  and 
hospitality.  Ilere  we  spent  some  time,  in  order  to  avail 
ourselves  of  the  opportunity  of  completing  calculations 
of  longitude,  which,  when  we  were  at  Boporu,  we  had 
been  unable  to  do  on  account  of  the  weather. 

While  we  were  staying  at  Totoquella,  some  of  the 
king's  people  killed  an  elephant;  and  instead  of  beef 
we  had  elephant  for  dinner.  The  part  regarded  as  a 
delicacy,  and  upon  which  we  dined  heartily,  was  the 
proboscis.     He  had  not  yielded  his  life  in  a  tame,  un- 


118  A  JOURNEY  TO   MUSARDU. 

becoming  manner ;  his  death  was  attended  with  the 
flight  of  his  enemies,  the  smashing  np  of  gun-stocks, 
the  stamping  and  rending  of  saplings.  One  musket 
had  its  barrel  literally  bent  to  an  angle  of  ninety  de- 
grees. The  narrow  escape  of  the  hunters  themselves 
suggested  to  me  what  might  have  happened,  had  I  at- 
tacked the  herd  of  elephants  feeding  in  the  cotton-fields 
of  Ballatah.  There  the  country  is  open  and  exposed; 
here  the  friendly  woods  and  jungle  offer  the  hunter  im- 
mediate concealment  and  protection.  The  elephants 
upon  the  highlands  pertinaciously  go  in  herds,  and 
scarcely  ever  allow  themselves  to  be  separated.  In- 
trepid elephant-hunters,  accustomed  to  display  firmness 
and  certainty  within  six  paces  of  a  furious  charge,  are 
invited  to  try  their  prowess  with  the  Ballatah  elephants. 


)i 


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^^^^ 


«r 


IX    T\AV    TTCi: 

14  DAY  USE  ) 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below, 
or  on  the  date  to  which  renewed.  Renewals  only: 

Tel.  No.  642-3405 
Renewals  may  be  made  4  days  prior  to  date  due. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


4J€tAr 


INTERLIBRARY  LOAN 


T!»?"E  W'^KS  AFTER  RECOPT 
NON-RENEWAWJs 


Sl^l^'i 


OCT  i't!  'i9'i 


INTERL!3RARY  LOAN 


UNSV.  OF  CALIF..  BERK. 


RECEIVED 


MAR  7  8  1995 


\m  %  2  1995 

CIRCULATION  DCPT. 


LD21A-50m-2,'71 
(P2001sl0)476 — A-32 


General  Library 

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Berkeley 


\^i.rb: 


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C05S24Dfi26 


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THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  UBRARY 


